Loved ones of the 22 people murdered in the Manchester Arena suicide bombing have said they were let down by those entrusted with looking after public safety, after reading the report into security at the venue.

Paul Hett, the father of Martyn Hett (29), who died in the 2017 bombing, said: “Since then our lives have been torn apart and we were heartbroken to find that Martyn had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“We entrusted the lives of our loved ones to organisations who we believed had a duty of care to protect them.

“This inquiry has rightly found that we were failed by them on every level.

“This atrocity should and could have been prevented, and 22 people would not have lost their lives.”

Sir John Saunders, chairman of the public inquiry into the bombing, yesterday published volume one of his report, which laid bare a series of failings by SMG, the venue operators, Showsec, the stewarding and security contractors, and British Transport Police, responsible for policing the arena complex beside Victoria railway station.

Both the organisations themselves and their employees were criticised for security arrangements at one of Europe’s busiest entertainment venues, where suicide bomber Salman Abedi murdered 22 bystanders after an Ariana Grande concert on May 22, 2017.

June Tron, mother of Philip Tron (32), who was killed in the attack, said: “Every life taken in this horrendous attack has destroyed the lives of those close to them and like the many other families affected, we don’t want anyone else to go through what we have following the loss of Philip.

“It has been extremely hard to listen to evidence which has highlighted how our government has failed to take extra steps to ensure security is as it should be at venues like this across the country, and how organisations who are supposedly experts in running such venues and events can make so many basic mistakes relating to safety and security.

“We hope that, as a result of this inquiry, many lessons are learned and that laws are introduced and changes made quickly to ensure people can go to a concert or a big public event in confidence that they have the best possible protection.

“It has become clear that was not the case for Philip, 21 others who also lost their lives, and the hundreds more who were seriously injured or left traumatised by what happened. Philip and everybody else in the vicinity of the arena that night was placed at risk. That is very hard to accept and understand.”

Figen Murray, the mother of Martyn Hett, is leading a campaign for Martyn’s Law, to improve safety at public venues.

Ms Murray said: “In terms of the report, yes there is a lot of really damning stuff in there but at the end of the day it is a fact-finding mission and there is a lot of stuff in there that had to be said in my opinion, difficult as it may be for some people.

“That was the whole purpose of this, we had to sit through it day by day and we still continue to do so.

“It’s clear from the first report of the inquiry that venue security needs to be improved to help prevent further terrorist attacks. I and supporters of Martyn’s Law welcome the recommendations. Now after this report we are one step closer to ensuring that a difference can be made.”