Reading Magistrates’ Court heard that Terry Colwell trading as T Colwell Roofing, from Bracknell had been contracted to undertake roof repairs to the property by Grosvenor Court (Bracknell) Management Company Limited in August 2014.

Colwell chose to carry out the work without a scaffold, working at heights of up to eight metres with no fall protection or falling object protection to protect members of the public.

An HSE investigation established that Colwell undertook the work for £650. The price of a scaffold would have been between £1400 and £1500.

Colwell, trading as T Colwell Roofing, of Bracknell, was fined a total of £2,000 and ordered to pay £1,966 in costs after pleading guilty to a safety breach.

After the hearing HSE Inspector John Caboche said: “This was a serious incident that could have ended in tragedy for Mr Colwell or a member of the public had he fallen or had a loose roof tile been dislodged during the repairs.

“The incident was wholly preventable and could have been avoided had Mr Colwell used a scaffold and not undercut the other roofing company and if the operation been better planned and managed.

“It is essential that roof work is carefully assessed by competent persons, with a plan in place to prevent falls of persons and objects. Roof work remains one of the most dangerous activities in the construction sphere.

“Terry Colwell was fully aware of the dangers of roof work and HSE publishes extensive guidance that is readily-available of how to safely manage this type of work.”