Incident brings maximum fine for dairy firm

A beleaguered Lincoln dairy firm has been fined £10,000 after an employee sustained multiple leg injuries in an accident.

The bosses of the firm which owns Boultham Park Dairy on Boultham Park Road, Lincoln were ordered to pay the maximum fine allowed by law in a hearing at Lincoln Magistrates Court.

The Cheshire-based business Dairy Farmers of Britain is already in administration – and the fine will add to the financial woes facing the firm.

Magistrates heard that the driver of a pallet truck was injured in a collision with a forklift truck at the Lincoln dairy.

The accident occurred on June 18 last year.

The injured man, John Reader, suffered multiple fractures to his lower right leg.

He was taken to Lincoln County Hospital where he received treatment for his injuries.

HSE bosses now hope that the £10,000 fine and order to pay £2,916 in legal costs will send out a message that firms using vehicles in the workplace need to do so safely.

The trial was heard in the absence of representatives from Dairy Farmers of Britain.

The firm also entered no plea to the charges, the HSE said.

For more on the case, see Thursday's Echo.