Fareham shop fined a quarter of a million pounds for health and safety failings

Fareham Borough Council successfully prosecuted One Stop Ltd after a customer tripped over on a pothole on the forecourt last year and sustained serious injuries at the shop on Warsash Road in Warsash.

A District Judge at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court handed down the judgement along with a £250,000 fine on Monday and One Stop were also ordered to pay the Council’s costs totalling £3700.

The ensuing accident investigation carried out by Environmental Health Officers revealed a catalogue of missed opportunities to repair the pothole on the forecourt prior to the accident which has since been completely resurfaced.

During his judgment, the District Judge said that he couldn’t overlook the fact this was not an isolated occurrence.

The pot hole had been reported to the One Stop Ltd on a number of occasions and they failed to repair it.

This failure meant that by the day of the accident the pot hole was of a significant size.

Executive Member for Health and Public Protection, Cllr Cartwright said: ‘This was a very sad case that resulted in life-changing injuries.

‘I really do hope that this judgement sends a firm signal that this Council will deal robustly where serious health and safety failures are not dealt with in a timely manner.’