The employee of Tesco Maintenance Ltd was lucky to suffer only minor injuries after falling 30 feet through a fragile skylight of the Tesco Liscard Express store in Wallasey in June 2014.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the worker was part of a team carrying out repairs to the roof and gutters of the store when the incident occurred.

Tesco Maintenance Ltd and Tesco Stores Ltd were prosecuted by the HSE after an investigation found that no risk assessment or method statement had been produced prior to carrying out the work.

The fragile skylights should have been identified and precautions taken but Tesco Maintenance had received no information relating to the fragility of the roof from their client Tesco Stores.

Tesco Stores Ltd of Welwyn Garden City pleaded guilty to safety breaches and was fined £200,000 with £712.70 costs

Tesco Maintenance Ltd of Welwyn Garden City also pleaded guilty and was fined £300,000 with £624.60 costs.

Speaking after the hearing HSE Inspector Chris Hatton said: “Contractors should treat all roofs with care and check before starting any work if they are fragile.

“I am shocked at a company the size of Tesco failing to take even basic precautions to prevent injury to its employees and further, to risk injury to the public”