A WIDOW has told of her fury at the scaffolding blunders which led to the death of her beloved husband.

Father-of-two Peter Walton, 55, fell 20 feet when the structure collapsed because a nut had not been tightened properly.

He suffered severe head injuries and died in the arms of wife Christine in hospital five weeks later.

He had been in a coma and never regained consciousness.

Other blunders revealed at court yesterday included the scaffolding being erected on broken concrete, being too far from the building and not having a guard rail.

Bosses of Hapton-based Howorth Scaffolding Services LTD said they were 'horrified' by the failures at a development site on the Altham Industrial Estate in May 2006.

But Mr Walton's wife Christine, of Blackpool, said: "The whole thing was a farce.

“I've had time to accept it, but that still doesn't mean I'm not angry about it.

“I'm very annoyed this sort of thing is allowed to happen.

"It's because of the pressures of tight timescales and people not having much pride in their work anymore.

"Everything is done at speed and that's just wrong, especially when people's lives are in danger.

“I'm devastated. Your husband goes to work one day and you expect them to come home.

“When you've got a loving relationship with your soul mate and he's been injured, that's upsetting enough, but when they don't recover and you lose the one you love, your whole world is wrecked.”

She said she had accepted an apology from Peter Shearer, managing director of Nelson-based Glen Mill Developments, which contracted out the work.

But she said she was 'grateful' for scaffolding boss Ian Howorth's apology, but added: "I still can't face talking to him.

"Ian Howorth didn't physically put up the scaffolding, but ultimately he's responsible for the staff."

Mr Shearer and Mr Howorth attended Preston Crown Court yesterday after admitting health and safety breaches.

Paul Dockery, prosecuting on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive, said that when an inspector checked the site in the aftermath of the accident, he concluded that when Mr Walton had put his weight on a platform, a bracket slipped due to a loose nut and the platform collapsed.

Mark Turner, for Glen Mill, said his client expressed his condolences for the loss of Mr Walton.

He said that the firm had suffered 'catastrophic economic losses' during the recession.

Mr Turner asked for a low fine and a minimal contribution to £38,000 prosecution costs because the company is 'pretty much' destroyed, with six commercial premises lying empty.”

For Howorth Scaffolding Services, Andrew Long put the blame on 'a one-off human error'.

He said the job of tightening the nuts - 'two turns and a pinch' was done by an experienced employee who 'had done it thousands of times before'.

“These were individual failings at a very low level.

“The scaffolding was not finished. It should never have been handed over in that condition.

“The scaffolding was entirely wrong and was not one of this fully qualified employee's best efforts.

“This company is horrified that the employee behaved in this way.

"He has since left the scaffolding industry never to return."

Mr Long also said Howorth was 'holding on by its fingertips' and couldn't afford a fine or costs or it would go out of business, making 30 employees redundant.”

Judge Andrew Woolman said he would send out a written verdict next month.

After the case Howorth Scaffolding released a statement saying it 'sincerely regretted the death' of Mr Walton and that it had a 'blemish-free' health and safety record prior to the incident.

It continued: “We have actively taken all necessary steps to ensure that a similar incident cannot happen again.”

Mr Howorth has only recently been released from a jail sentence for two drink-driving incidents when he crashed a taxi taken from an Asian driver into Accrington Police Station's rear yard, leaving a £25,000 trail of destruction.

He blamed 'work pressures' including Mr Walton's death when he was jailed for two years five months, in February 2010.