A tyre service company has been fined £600,000 after a 21-year-old employee was killed while working on the M56.
Niall Fawcett died on August 2, 2024, while repairing a blown tyre on a low-profile truck at junction 7 of the M56 near Bowdon.
The vehicle slipped from a bottle jack and fell on him while he was working beneath it, causing fatal head injuries.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Halford Commercial Fleet Services Limited, based in Redditch, had failed to properly assess the risks of roadside tyre repairs on low-profile vehicles.
The company also did not provide adequate instructions to employees about when a vehicle should be recovered rather than repaired at the roadside.
Mr Fawcett had only recently qualified to work on commercial tyres at the roadside and had not been monitored or supervised to ensure he was working safely.
His mother Sharon said: “Niall was only 21 years old when he died. He had his whole life ahead of him.
“He was planning to marry the following year and he and Megan were saving for a deposit on their first home together and talking about starting a family.
“Niall was building for a life he was excited for and this was taken from him in an instant.
“Niall went to work that day and should have been safe, supported and protected.
“Instead, my son never came home.”
On November 3, 2026, Halford Commercial Fleet Services Limited, formerly known as Lodge Tyre Company Limited (The), pleaded guilty at Warrington Magistrates’ Court to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
The company was fined £600,000 and ordered to pay costs of £24,203 and a victim surcharge of £200.
The blown tyre (Image: HSE)
Laura Royales, HSE principal inspector, said: “This case should serve to highlight to employers the importance of properly assessing the risks to which their workers are exposed and providing the right information and instructions, supplemented by adequate monitoring and supervision arrangements, to ensure that they can and do work safely.
“Our thoughts remain with Niall’s family as they continue to come to terms with their tragic loss.”
The HSE’s guidance on health and safety in motor vehicle repair stresses the importance of safe working systems and ensuring all employees are competent to carry out their duties.