Peterborough firework firm fined £500,000 after death of factory worker - but will never pay a penny

A Peterborough firework firm has been fined half a million pounds after significant health and safety breaches led to the death of a young father at its factory.

However, the company will not pay a penny after it was placed into liquidation following the incident, the court was told.

Brendan Ledgister was just 24 years old – and the father of an eight-month-old daughter – when he died in an explosion at Le Maitre’s factory in Fourth Drove, Peterborough, in October 2018.

On 28 March, Le Maitre was found guilty of breaching health and safety rules, in relation to operations at the factory in the run up to the accident, at a trial at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court.

However, because the firm has gone into liquidation, they will not pay a penny of the £500,000 fine, £20,788.65 costs or £170 victim surcharge.

Brendan’s family and friends were in court to hear the trial – but the directors of the firm were not, and were not represented.

The court heard that while the firm went into liquidation in 2021, another fireworks firm was still being operated by the same people.

Sentencing, Judge Sheraton said: “Given the consequences of the offence, I’d have clearly expected responsible directors would have attended, not withstanding the liquidation, especially as I am told they run a company of a similar nature. The fact they have chosen not to attend does not go in their favour.”

Charles Blatchford, prosecuting for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), said HSE had visited the factory in 2016, and given improvement notices to the firm asking them to make changes. However, there were still issues two years later.

Mr Blatchford read witness statements from workers at the factory at the time of the fatal incident.

Mr Blatchford said Nathan Ireson was a maintenance operative at the time of the incident and was working in the room next to Brendan.

Mr Blatchford said: “He heard a small bang, followed by another, which caused him to be pushed back and fall onto the bench.

"He describes seeing the rooms engulfed by flames and stuff falling from the sky. He saw Brendan coming out of the room and falling.

"Nathan tried to grab him but states Brendan was too hot. Brendan managed to get up and make it to the gravel outside where he collapsed.”

Nathan continued to describe trying to help Brendan and eventually pouring a fire bucket onto him to put out the fire.

Marie Danile, was an assembler also working at the factory at the time.

Mr Blatchford said: “She describes shortly after morning break when she was working in her room there was big bang and when she opened the door she could just see smoke. "She heard Nathan screaming and shouting. She panicked and could see things falling down.

"She ran round the building and to the escape gate.”

Judge Sheraton agreed with Mr Blatchford when he said there were “significant” issues raised with health and safety at the site, including the monitoring of humidity levels, precautions around electro-static discharge and inadequate training around some issues at the factory.

Judge Sheraton praised the work of the HSE, especially explosives expert Stuart Charles