A COMPANY director from Blackburn is facing allegations he unlawfully killed an employee who fell into a vat of paint at a car factory.

Peter Preston, of Rowen Park, Blackburn, appeared at Winchester Crown Court yesterday accused of causing the death of Christopher Shute, 30, through gross negligence.

Preston, 51, and business partner Paul McKenzie, 53, were accused after the factory worker died in a 100,000 gallon vat of paint at the Ford paint shop factory in Southampton, Hampshire.

The men's firm was working on the site as a contractor and they were allegedly responsible for health and safety at the workshop when the incident happened in August 2000.

The trial, scheduled to last six weeks, began yesterday, but no evidence was heard as both prosecution and defence barristers made submissions to the judge.

Preston and McKenzie, who lives at Beechwood Avenue, Hartford, Cheshire, are charged with manslaughter.

Mr Shute, who was single, was believed to have been cleaning the tank at the plant when he fell in. The vat had been full of solvent-based rubberised paint used as an undercoat on Transit vans made at the factory.

A fellow workman tried to cling on to Mr Shute, but was unable to stop him disappearing beneath the surface.

Ambulance crews attended, but despite emergency treatment he died a short time later in hospital.

Mr Shute, of Winchester Road, Southampton, was a contract worker employed by Philips Services Limited.

An 18-month investigation by Hampshire Police and the Health and Safety Executive, led to the arrests of the two directors.