An electricity supplier has been prosecuted after a maintenance worker was killed when he fell six metres from a power line in Preston.

Electricity North West Limited of 304 Bridgewater Place, Birchwood Park, Warrington was found guilty of breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. It was fined £900,000 with costs to be agreed at a later date.

Preston Crown Court heard how 63-year-old employee John Flowers, an experienced linesman, was tasked to trim ivy away from power lines in Preston on 22 November 2013.

After climbing a ladder resting against a wood pole to carry out the work, it is believed Mr Flowers somehow cut through his work positioning strap and fell to his death

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An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive discovered the work had not been properly planned. The ivy growing onto the electricity conductors was first identified some five years before the accident and then again in June 2013. A survey of the vegetation clearance work which was required was undertaken six weeks prior to the incident.  However none of this information was given to any of the linesman, and they were not provided with information on how the work was to be carried out.

Overall, the court heard the work was not identified as short duration work and was not suitable to be undertaken working from a ladder. In addition, the company failed to properly plan the work and no provision was made for the use of a mobile elevated work platform to undertake the task.

HSE inspector Rose Leese-Weller said: "Electricity North West failed to ensure that working at height was properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out in a manner that was safe. Had these steps been taken we may not have had this tragic outcome."

(LM/CD)