'˜Amazing father' from Spalding named as worker who died in poultry farm chemical spillage

Neil Moon (39) from Spalding and Jonathan Collins (34) from Watton, Norfolk, were working as subtractors when the incident took place.

The workmen were victims of a suspected refrigeration gas leak at Banham Poultry in Attleborough, Norfolk.

Today Neil’s family paid tribute to him and described him as the ‘best father’ and the ‘most amazing husband.

Neil’s son, who was not named, said: “I will miss listening to his stories; my life will never be the same without him.

“He was my hero and the best father I could’ve ever asked for.”

His daughter, also not named, said: “The colours of the world may constantly change, but dad my love for you will always remain the same.

“I will miss him so much and cherish all the memories we had together.”

His wife said: “Neil was the most amazing husband and father.

“There are no words to describe the loss I feel. Life will never be the same again. Tonight there will be a brighter star in the sky.”

Banham Poultry is the largest employer in the area, employing around 1,000 workers directly and responsible for a further 2,000 in the supply chain.

Jonathan’s family have described him as a “devoted family man who will continue to be loved and missed by all those who knew him.”

The outcome of the official Home Office Post Mortems are pending investigations into the death of the two men.

Banham Poultry is a long-established Norfolk family business which can trace its history back more than 40 years.

The company produces its own chicks, hatches chicks and then rears chickens all the way through to slaughter.

Many of the company’s employees are also long-standing, with many having worked there for decades.

The company supplies chickens to major supermarkets and other stores and wholesalers through the UK.

At the Norfolk Farming Conference in February, the company said it had gone past the milestone of processing one million chickens a week, and was on track to turn over £130 million in the financial year.