Fareham Borough Council has successfully prosecuted One Stop Ltd for health and safety failings after a customer tripped over a pothole on the forecourt and sustained serious injuries.
The Fareham and Gosport Environmental Partnership was notified of an accident at One Stop, Warsash, in September 2016.
The ensuing accident investigation carried out by Environmental Health Officers revealed a catalogue of missed opportunities to repair the pothole on the forecourt prior to the accident. The forecourt has since been completely resurfaced.
During his judgment, the District Judge said that he couldn’t overlook the fact this was not an isolated occurrence. The pothole had been reported to the One Stop Ltd on a number of occasions and they failed to repair it. This failure meant that by the day of the accident the pothole was of a significant size.