Designer, Peter Wallace of the Wallace Partnership, and the main contractor, Jack Smith (Builders) Ltd have been fined a total of £7,000 following the collapse in Kirkham.

Blackpool Magistrates’ Court heard that a concrete block pillar, used to support the first and second floors, had been resting on the ground floor instead of going down into the foundations.

Allen Shute, the investigating HSE Inspector in Lancashire, said: “One of the workers’ legs was badly broken after the rubble fell on him, but the consequences could have been much worse.

“This was a basic error which should have been spotted by both the building’s designer and the principal contractor.

“It is common sense that the pillar supporting the floors should have gone into the foundations, and not just rested on the floor below. It’s vital companies learn lessons from this to prevent similar incidents happening in the future.”