A Carlisle auto salvage company has been fined £23,000 after a man was crushed to death after an accident at its yard.

Paul Spence, of Skipton, died when the truck he had bought from Michael Douglas Autosalvage Ltd's Etterby yard fell and trapped him against a lorry in February 2018.

An inquest last year ruled that Mr Spence, 64, had died as the result of an accident.

It was told the father died after a winch cable he was using to pull a forklift on to a wagon suddenly detached, toppling first Mr Spence from the wagon and then the forklift.

The two-and-a-half-ton machine landed on top of him.

After the inquest, the Health and Safety Executive said it would launch an investigation into the accident.

Its investigation found that a metal ring on the lift truck which the winch wire was attached to had failed, causing the it to fall.

The Health and Safety Executive said Michael Douglas Autosalvage Ltd failed to make sure the complex lifting process was properly planned by a competent person and had failed in its duty not to expose customers to risk.

It added: " A competent person would have identified that this loading method with this equipment was fundamentally unsafe."

The firm pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 at a hearing at Carlisle Crown Court and alongside the fine, was ordered to pay £8,000 costs.

After the hearing, Health and Safety Executive inspector Matthew Tinsley said: “This incident could so easily have been avoided should the lift have been properly planned and appropriate equipment and safe working practices been employed as a result.

“Companies should be aware that the Health and Safety Executive will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”

Sandra Spence, Mr Spence’s wife, said: “Paul was taken too early, in a tragic way, and didn’t deserve his life to end this way.

"There is a big empty hole in my heart, he was a very loving husband and father. Paul always had a smile on his face and lived for his family.”

At the inquest, Mr Spence's daughter Maria said her father had a lifelong passion for cars. She said he bought and renovated cars because he loved them.

“He had loads of cars,” she added. "He was a marvellous father.”

Mr Spence initially qualified as a joiner but later ran a vehicle recovery business.