AJ Riley Landscapes and Building fined £20,000 after fragile roof fall
AJ Riley Landscapes and Building Limited was fined after Josh Huddleston fell about ten metres through a barn roof. HSE found inadequate planning, missing effective controls and insufficient training in the measures identified by the company’s own risk assessment.
AJ Riley Landscapes and Building Limited was fined £20,000 at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on 3 November 2026 after an employee fell through a fragile barn roof. The company pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was ordered to pay £4,955 in costs. HSE published its report on 5 November. The legal development was the sentencing outcome, not a new statutory rule. The underlying incident occurred on 24 February 2025, a separate date that is important to retain in the chronology.
Josh Huddleston, aged 47, was replacing a damaged skylight when he fell approximately ten metres. He suffered fractures to his ribs, vertebrae and pelvis. HSE described serious injuries and observed that the fall could have been fatal. The report does not provide a full medical prognosis, the length of his absence or the details of any rehabilitation. Those matters should not be added. The account establishes a severe fall through a fragile roof during a particular repair task, not a complete record of his later employment or personal circumstances.