George Wimpey (North East) and A W Cowan (Groundworks) were prosecuted at Teesside Crown Court in connection with the fatal incident on a housing site in Skelton on 8 March 2004.

An unsupported trench collapsed injuring two workers, one of them fatally. Neil Dunstan, aged 41, from Lingdale, died as a result of his injuries and Karl Buck, then aged 28 from Boosbeck, suffered serious injuries and was in hospital for several weeks.

George Wimpey (North East) was the principal contractor on the site. The firm was fined £300,000 and was also ordered to pay £28,367 costs.

A W Cowan (Groundworks) employed the two workers. The firm was fined £20,000 and was ordered to pay £5,000 costs.

Health and Safety Executive Inspector Michael Brown said: "This fatality and the serious injury could easily have been prevented if the appropriate safety measures had been taken. Trench collapses are entirely avoidable. Without suitable support, any vertical face of an excavation will collapse; it's just a matter of when. If heavy machinery is operated on the edge of the excavation, as happened in this case, an earlier collapse is inevitable.

"Excavation work has to be properly planned, managed, supervised and carried out to prevent accidents."