TARPORLEY construction company Edgemere Projects Ltd has been ordered to pay almost £400,000 after a young bricklayer was crushed to death by a stack of bricks.

The firm was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after the accident in 2011 at a construction site in Wilmslow.

The HSE said Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday that Edgemere Projects was the main contractor at a construction site in Wilmslow when on January 7, 2011, 23-year-old bricklayer Andrew Dytiche suffered fatal crush injuries when a pack of bricks fell on him.

The HSE said its investigation found the storage of materials was poorly organised, and pallets used to store and move bricks around the construction site were also in poor condition.

Edgemere Projects Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and was fined £97,500 and ordered to pay £300,000 in costs.

HSE principal inspector Neil Jamieson said: “This was a tragic accident which could have been prevented had the company ensured that materials on the site were stored and stacked safely.”

A statement issued on behalf of Edgemere Projects said: “We deeply regret this tragic accident. Words cannot express how sorry we are for the distress caused to Andrew’s family and friends.

“Edgemere takes health and safety very seriously. We must however accept the judge's findings, we failed to keep Andrew safe.

“This has been an incredibly long process for all involved, yet we hope some good will come out of it.

“Lessons have been learned by Edgemere, and we hope these can be shared with the rest of the construction industry to avoid such a tragic accident happening again.

“Our thoughts however remain with Andrew's family and friends.”

Mr Dytiche came from Newcastle-under-Lyme, and was working on a building site in Torkington Road in Wilmslow when the accident happened.

He was taken by ambulance to Wythenshawe Hospital, but died from his injuries the same day.

The Health and Safety Executive is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety, and aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill-health.