HSE | Derbyshire Police has been fined £60,000 after several of its officers were injured when a riot training exercise went wrong.

Four serving police officers suffered burns after petrol bombs were thrown at them during the simulated exercise at a training facility in Rotherham on 2 February 2021.

The HSE’s investigation into the incident found that the officers had been exposed to significant and avoidable risks during the exercise.

Officers wearing flame-retardant personal protective equipment (PPE) had been required to face petrol bombs thrown by other officers as part of a training drill intended to replicate a public disorder situation. 

However, it resulted in four of the 13 officers taking part sustaining burns to their lower bodies, three of whom required hospital treatment. All four have since returned to work, but the incident resulted in permanent scarring, and psychological harm, which will have a lasting effect.

The HSE investigation found that Derbyshire Constabulary had failed to properly plan and risk assess the exercise. It found failures to:

  • Give officers adequate information on the lifespan, care, and inspection of the flame retardant PPE to ensure it provided adequate protection.
  • Carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for both the production and deployment of petrol bombs during the training.
  • Implement safe systems of work to control the foreseeable risks created in the course of petrol reception training.

Derbyshire Constabulary of Butterley Hall, Ripley, Derby, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. They were fined £60,000 and ordered to pay £9,470 in costs.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Jennifer Elsegood, said: “Being a serving police officer is a job that carries with it levels of risk, however while preparing officers for dangerous situations is important, it must never come at the expense of their safety.

“High‑risk training activities must be planned and controlled with the same care and professionalism expected in any other workplace. The risks created by the training should have been identified as part of the Constabulary’s risk assessments and appropriately controlled.

“We hope this case reinforces the importance of thorough risk assessment, robust equipment assurance, and safeguarding those who put themselves forward to protect the public.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by senior enforcement lawyer Robert James and paralegal officer Rebecca Withell.

London Borough of Harrow | A landlord has been prosecuted and issued with a £9,000 penalty for repeatedly ignoring council notices and failing to provide essential information about his property which was a suspected unlicensed House of Multiple Occupancy. The property had multiple fire hazards.

Officers visited the four-bedroom property in Edgware after repeated complaints of rubbish piling up outside. Inside they found dangerous living conditions – including a broken boiler and no smoke alarms. An emergency engineer was called out after a strong smell of gas was detected. Officers immediately issued an Emergency Prohibition Order to stop anyone living in the property until urgent repairs were made.

Despite several formal requests, the landlord, Kamil Trivedi, failed to provide the required fire and electrical safety certificates. These documents are vital for the council to identify who is managing the property and ensuring tenants are protected.

The London Borough of Harrow successfully prosecuted Mr Trivedi. He was found guilty of two offences: failing to provide a fire safety certificate and failing to provide the electrical safety certificate.

Cllr Pritesh Patel, Cabinet Member for Cleaner Streets and Public Safety said: “Our officers work tirelessly to protect tenants and ensure landlords know their responsibilities. When they issue notices, they must be taken seriously. This case shows the consequences of ignoring warnings and allowing a property to fall into a dangerous state.

“Our officers acted swiftly to shut the property down and prosecute Mr Trivedi. No one is above the law. We will continue to put residents first and take tough action against anyone who puts them at risk.”

Trivedi was fined £5,000, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £2,000 and ordered to pay a costs contribution of £2,000.

Environment Agency | A company has made a financial contribution of over £1 million to come into compliance and to deal with the effects of a pollution incident in 2018.

An investigation by the Environment Agency has ended in Mettis Aerospace Limited of Redditch, making the payment under an Enforcement Undertaking (EU).

An EU is a voluntary offer made by companies and individuals to make amends for their offending.

Mettis Aerospace Limited accepted that discharges from their metals installation, a site permitted by the Environment Agency, had caused a fish-kill incident.

The discharges, from the site’s surface water drainage system, arose from the uncontrolled overfilling of a process tank on the site and inadequate containment measures.

This meant a solution of caustic and sodium aluminate was able to leak into an unprotected surface water drain and into an adjacent watercourse. Approximately 1,000 fish were killed.

As an alternative to prosecution for the offence, Mettis offered an EU including spending some £504,240 on site infrastructure improvements.

Details of the EU include:

  • Donations to environmental enhancement projects in Redditch and the Black Country totalling £379,500.
  • Initial pollution clean-up costs of £111,268.
  • Payment of the Environment Agency’s initial investigation costs of £9,324.
  • Site infrastructure improvements, training and management systems development, and certification costs of £504,240.
  • Loss of amenity compensation payments to local charities £7,000.
  • Payment of Environment Agency’s costs for assessing compliance with the EU £13,026.

HSE | An unregistered gas fitter has been sentenced after carrying out illegal gas work at a house in Torquay that left the property in an immediately dangerous condition.

Exeter Court heard that Benjamin Owen, known as Ben, trading as BPS and ‘Ben the Plumber’, attended a property on Barton Hill, Torquay in February 2023 where he removed an old boiler and installed a new one.

Following the installation, the boiler did not work properly. The homeowners arranged for another company to check the installation when Ben Owen was dismissive of their concerns. When this plumber attended, they had serious concerns and called the emergency gas provider, who found a gas leak on the gas supply pipe and classified the situation as ‘immediately dangerous’, capping the gas supply.

Gas Safe Register was called and attended the site, where they found further defects in the gas boiler installation. A third company was employed by the homeowners to rectify the faults. When they started work, they discovered additional faults created by Mr Owen.

The HSE’s investigation found that Ben Owen was not registered with the Gas Safe Register, which is a legal requirement. He had previously been a member of Gas Safe Register, but his registration lapsed in October 2021 when he failed to renew his membership. Since 20 October 2021, he was not registered to undertake any form of gas work.

Carrying out gas work without registration is illegal and potentially dangerous, as unqualified work can lead to gas leaks, fires, explosions, and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Ben Owen, of Peter Street, St Hellier Jersey pleaded guilty to contravening Sections 3(3), 26(1) and 27(1) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, ordered to undertake 150 hours unpaid work and to pay costs of £1,000.

After the hearing HSE inspector, Simon Jones, said: “Ben Owen undertook gas work which he knew he was not registered to do and the work that he undertook was found to be dangerous, putting the lives of the homeowners and their four young children at risk.

“All gas work must be conducted by registered Gas Safe engineers to ensure the highest standards are met to prevent injury and loss of life.

“We advise all householders to check that anyone they allow to work on their gas supply is Gas Safe registered. This can be done at the Gas Safe Register website.”

The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Daniel Poole and Paralegal Michael Millman.

HSE | A construction company director and his firm have been fined after failing to comply with multiple enforcement notices and for failing to suitably plan, manage and monitor construction work.

Vasilis Paraskeva and his London-based company, VNP Constructions Limited, were the appointed contractor for the conversion of a former public house and adjoining building into residential flats on White Lion Street, London.

During a proactive visit to the site on 1 September 2022, HSE inspectors identified several issues including work at height risks and concerns about the competence of site management. Prohibition and Improvement notices were served.

Further visits over the following 12 months identified additional breaches, demonstrating a continued failure to suitably plan, manage and monitor the work. Additional Prohibition and Improvement notices were served.

An investigation by the HSE found that Vasilis Paraskeva and VNP Constructions Limited failed to comply with the requirements of multiple enforcement notices and failed to ensure work was carried out safely.

The company, VNP Constructions Limited, of Kings Avenue, Winchmore Hill, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 15(2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and to two counts of failing to comply with a Prohibition Notice contrary to Section 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1971.

The company was fined £7,200 and ordered to pay £900 in costs.

The Director, Vasilis Paraskeva, of Kings Avenue, Winchmore Hill, London, pleaded guilty to three offences on the basis that the company had committed the above three offences and those offences were committed with his consent or connivance or was attributable to his neglect by virtue of S37(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

He was fined £10,800 and ordered to pay £900 in costs.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Andrew Pipe said: “These fines should send a clear message to the construction industry that HSE and the courts take failure to comply with enforcement notices extremely seriously.

“HSE will not hesitate to take action against companies and individuals who fail to keep people safe.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE Enforcement Lawyer Matthew Reynolds and Paralegal Officer Melissa Wardle.

HSE | A Cumbria-based producer of cellulose film packaging has been fined £200,000 after workers were exposed to harmful hydrogen sulphide gas.

On 24 December 2021, Futamura Chemical UK Ltd employee, Alexander Cole (known as Alec), was found collapsed in a pump room after exposure to gas at the company’s factory premises in Wigton, Cumbria. Delivery driver, Robert Dyer, attempted to assist Mr Cole but was also overcome by the gas. Both men were rescued from the area and Mr Dyer quickly regained consciousness. Tragically, Mr Cole died in hospital the following day, which was Christmas Day. A subsequent inquest concluded that, on the balance of probabilities, hydrogen sulphide had contributed to Mr Cole’s death.

The HSE’s investigation found that Futamura Chemical (UK) Ltd failed to adequately risk assess its production process, as it did not identify that hydrogen sulphide gas, a by-product of the process, was able to enter the site’s water effluent system.

Futamura Chemical UK Ltd had conducted a risk assessment for the presence of hydrogen sulphide in the production area and implemented control measures. However, there was inadequate assessment and associated risk controls relating to the potential for hydrogen sulphide build-up in the site’s drainage system. This meant there was a risk that the gas could be released from the drains, putting people at risk of exposure.

According to the HSE, hydrogen sulphide is a clear gas with the smell of rotten eggs and is known to be harmful to health. Depending on the concentration of the gas and the length of time exposed, symptoms can range from dizziness, loss of consciousness and eye irritation through to death.

Futamura Chemical UK Ltd, of Station Road, Wigton, Cumbria, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay £20,000 in costs.

After the hearing Inspector, Matthew Shepherd, said: “This tragic case shows the importance of conducting a thorough and robust risk assessment to ensure that all risks are properly identified and managed. Where companies use, or produce within their processes, substances harmful to health, it is vital that they have fully considered and controlled all pathways to exposure. Failure to do so can have terrible consequences.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer, Karen Park and paralegal officer, Benjamin Stobbart.

Edie | New data analysis has found that 74% of businesses have yet to assess climate change risks on their operations.

Researchers noted that the findings indicate a lack of readiness from UK companies in managing increasing climate threats.

The findings, based on a survey of more than 10,000 businesses by the Office for National Statistics, show that fewer than one-in-three businesses express any concern about the impact of climate change on their operations, despite 16% of businesses reporting direct impact by climate change each year, either through flooding, storms or increased heat.

The study found that climate change-related events had already impacted businesses in several ways, including damage to physical infrastructure (20%), employee absence (13%), and local and global supply chain disruption (9% and 5%, respectively).

For those businesses that had assessed their climate change risks, the most common threat was disruption of the supply chain (8%), temperature increase (4%), and increased flooding (4%). However, even in this group, only 15% had taken action to adapt their supply chain to avoid disruption, with 9% and 6% making changes to adapt to increased temperatures and flood risk respectively. Critically, 26% of businesses who assessed at least one risk in their own business had taken no actions to adapt.

The most common actions taken by businesses were monitoring climate risks (5%), implementing a climate change strategy (3%) and setting a net-zero or GHG target (3%).

Edie | The UK Government is providing fresh discounts of up to £120,000 for fleet operators to switch to electric trucks, as part of a new £18 million funding pot.

Fleet operators can access discounts for upfront electric truck purchases via an £18 million fund that increases the Plug-in Truck Grant until March 2026.

The Grant works similarly to the Electric Car Grant, which has saved over 45,000 drivers up to £3,750 when making the switch. For trucks, operators can now access savings of up to £120,000 for purchases. The funding forms part of a £318 million investment plan into green freight.

The government confirmed in August 2025 that grants supporting sole traders and fleet managers to purchase electric vans and trucks would be extended until at least 2027.

The plug-in van and truck grant, which reduces the upfront cost of electric commercial vehicles, currently provides discounts of up to £2,500 for small vans, £5,000 for large vans, £16,000 for small trucks, and £25,000 for large trucks.

Alongside the extension of vehicle grants, the government has committed £30 million for depot-based chargepoint installations, aiming to add more than 3,000 chargers across the UK.

HSE | A construction company based in the Northwest of England has been fined £60,000 after a wall collapsed, knocking an employee through an open stairwell onto a concrete floor below.

Ace Infra Ltd pleaded guilty after an incident led to employee, Mark Jones, to spend a month in hospital recovering from his injuries.

The court heard how Mr. Jones, a general labourer, was sweeping up dust and debris on the first floor of the building at the end of the working day. Earlier that day, boards had been delivered and laid across a large opening in the floor where a staircase was to be installed. The boards did not cover the entire opening, and no edge protection had been installed around the remaining gap. There was no signage warning of the danger, and Mr. Jones had received no instructions regarding his safety around this area.

While sweeping along the boards, a newly built wall to the left collapsed, knocking him over the unprotected edge onto the concrete floor 2.5 to 3 metres below.

The incident happened on 25 April 2024 at an Ace Infra site at NW Auctions Milnthorpe, Cumbria.

Mr Jones suffered multiple fractures and a dislocated shoulder, spending a month in hospital.

An investigation by the HSE found that the risk of falling through the gap in the floor had not been addressed, as no preventative measures had been taken. Mr Jones had not been made aware of the risks or the safety measures required. No site supervisor or manager was present when the incident occurred.

Ace Infra Ltd, of 31 St James Drive, Burton, Carnforth, Cumbria, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 by failing to ensure that suitable and sufficient measures were taken, so far as was reasonably practicable, to prevent any person working at height from falling a distance liable to cause personal injury.

The company was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay £4,799.44 in costs, with a £2,000 victim surcharge at Lancaster Magistrates Court on 23 December.

HSE Inspector, Derek McLauchlan, said: “Everyone working in construction has a responsibility to ensure that people are safe. Any work at height is potentially high-risk and requires proper planning and implementation.

“This incident could have been avoided had appropriate control measures and training been in place. Despite the serious injuries sustained, a fall of this height and nature could have resulted in far worse outcomes. Lessons must be learned from this case.”

This HSE prosecution was brought by HSE Enforcement Lawyer, Chloe Ward and Paralegal Officer, Zahra Shafique.

Environment Agency | A Cornwall man who repeatedly ignored warnings about the amount of waste that he illegally stockpiled at his business has been prosecuted by the EA.

Treve Young, 52, operated the illegal site from Lower Spargo Farm, Mabe Burnthouse, to the west of Falmouth in Cornwall. He appeared before Plymouth Magistrates’ Court.

Young pleaded guilty in October 2025 to two offences, one of operating a regulated facility without an environmental permit, in breach of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016, and one for failing to provide when demanded copies of all written descriptions of waste, in breach of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

He was sentenced to 22 weeks imprisonment suspended for 18 months and ordered to complete 100 hours unpaid work during that period. He was also ordered to pay a £30,000 fine, prosecution costs of £5739.82, and a victim surcharge of £181.

The Court heard waste was imported to the site without an Environmental Permit and outside the scope of any waste exemption conditions.

The importation of waste continued after advice and guidance had been provided regarding the limitations of a U1 waste exemption, it also exceeded the boundaries of planning permission in place.

A U1 exemption allows a maximum of 1,000 tonnes of soil and stones, and up to 5,000 tonnes of inert material (including bricks, concrete, tiles, and ceramics) for the purpose of construction.

Young admitted in an interview under caution that he deliberately concealed documents from Environment Agency officers to try to cover up the true volume of waste which had been imported and that he had been operating as an unlicensed waste carrier.

The importation of waste to this area by Young from 20 April 2015 and 11 March 2024 was over 27,000 tonnes.

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