A BUILDER who ignored warnings to stop working on a ‘dangerous’ 20-foot scaffolding tower has been hit with a £2,000 legal bill.

Jack Sanderson was ordered down from the tower, above shops in Burnley Road, Bacup, by a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector, Accrington magistrates heard.

No handrails, or toe-boards, had been fitted as safety precautions at the top of the tower, and Sanderson was issued with a prohibition notice.

But the court heard that when the inspector returned three hours later, Sanderson and an-other builder were working in the same manner on a roof next to the former Regal Cinema and bingo hall.

HSE officials say the builder was putting both their lives at risk, as there was nothing to prev-ent them from falling.

Sanderson, of Bear Street, Burnley, admitted two breaches of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, and one of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

He was fined £2,000 after magistrates heard he was serving a jail sentence for an unrelated offence.

An investigation by the HSE discovered that Sanderson had been working on a restoration project at the three-storey building.

Speaking after the case, HSE inspector David Myrtle said: “Sanderson was given a chance to put things right when he received a prohibition notice, but he chose to ignore it. He found himself in court as a result.

“Several lives were put at risk because the scaffolding wasn’t safe to use, including the lives of another worker, and members of the public doing their shopping on the street below.

“This case should act as a warning to those working in the construction industry that if they ignore formal enforcement not-ices issued by the HSE, then they are likely to face prosecution.”