An Atherton roofer has appeared in court after being spotted working on roofs with no safety equipment to prevent him and his staff falling off.

Mark McKernan, from Hesketh Street, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after he and three employees were seen working on two residential properties with nothing to stop them plunging to the ground below if they slipped.

A HSE inspector also watched workers throwing slates from the roofs of the houses in Yew Tree Avenue into a skip below, just a few feet away from a busy pavement on 16 December last year.

Trafford Magistrates' Court heard that the company should have erected a guardrail around the roof or used scaffolding to prevent potential falls or serious injuries. A rubbish chute or other suitable equipment should have been used to transport waste safely to the ground.

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Mark McKernan pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 6(3) and 10(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 by failing to take suitable measures to prevent a fall from the roofs, and for failing to provide suitable equipment to remove waste material from the roof. He was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £2,000 costs.

HSE Inspector Robert Hodkinson said: "Around 11 roofers are killed each year in the UK as a result of falls from height, and the majority of these deaths could have been prevented if those carrying out the work had planned the job properly and taken adequate precautions.

"There was absolutely nothing in place at this site to stop Mr McKernan or his employees falling to the ground below and sustaining serious injuries or even being killed.

"Roof slates and other waste materials were also being thrown from the roof into a skip next to a busy public pavement, which put passersby at serious risk of being struck by flying debris."

(CD)