A COMPANY manager from Blackburn has been fined £5,000 after a man drowned in a vat of paint at a car plant.

Peter Preston, and colleague Paul McKenzie were responsible for health and safety when technical trouble-shooter Chris Shute, 30, of Winchester Road, Southampton, died after falling into the paint-recycling tank on August 17, 2000.

Car giant Ford, which had pleaded guilty to two charges under the health and safety act, was also ordered to pay a £300,000 fine with costs of £46,688

Mr Shute was working for Philips Services (Europe) Ltd at Ford's Southampton plant, which makes Transit vans, when the tragedy occurred three years ago.

Preston, 51, of Rowen Park, Blackburn, and Paul McKenzie, 55, of Hartford, Cheshire, were managers of Philips Services.

The two had denied manslaughter and that charge was dropped but both pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the safety of their employee under a 1974 Health and Safety Act.

Today they were each fined £5,000 but ordered to pay no costs.

Mr Shute's family have said they are likely to press ahead with a civil case for damages against Preston, McKenzie and Ford.

In passing sentence at Winchester Crown Court Mr Justice McKinnon said in imposing fines he was taking into account their modest means. He said it would not be right to impose fines which would lead to them losing their homes.

But, in the case of Ford he said they were a substantial company with "very substantial" assets.

The judge said: "This was an entirely unnecessary accident or death but it was an accident waiting to happen."

He said this was a bad case of its kind and a significant breach of health and safety regulations.

He said: "There were no handrails to prevent anyone falling into the tank and nothing to stop anyone climbing the ladders. There were no notices warning of the dangers.

"The risk of an employee falling into the tank was never addressed. There was no risk assessment nor method statement."

The judge said that Ford did not supervise and check that the safety management system had been complied with.

But, the judge noted that the company had taken steps to prevent a further tragedy occurring.