The incident occurred on 20th July 2021, during building work on an extension to a house in Totton, Hampshire 鈥� a few seconds鈥� walk from a local primary school. A cast iron pipe fell onto a passing child, striking him on the head and fracturing his skull.
The base of the pipe had been broken away by the builder some days before to allow him to excavate into the concrete floor. When a TV cable was freed from the pipe, the top two sections of pipe, weighing more than 45kg, fell across the pavement. The cast iron pipe was estimated to date from the 1930s; both the pipe and the fixings were corroded.
An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found that Sage Homes and its director, Jason Scorey, had failed to properly assess what was a foreseeable risk. In giving evidence, Scorey insisted that he could see no need to secure the pipe against the wall.
Sage Homes and Scorey were convicted on Monday 4th August 2025 at Southampton Crown Court for failing to properly assess a foreseeable risk.
On 12th September 2025 they were sentenced for breaches of Section 3(1) and Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, respectively. Scorey received a fine of 拢1,685, with 45 days鈥� imprisonment in default, and was ordered to pay costs of 拢10,436. Sage Homes Limited was fined 拢15,000. Both Scorey and Sage Homes were also ordered to pay a victim surcharge.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Alexander Ashen said: 鈥淧roperly assessing risk to workers and members of the public is a vital part of any construction project.
鈥淚t would have been a simple and inexpensive task to secure the pipe once it had been broken out at its base. The fact that the construction work was being carried out yards from a school gate at the time parents were collecting their children should have prompted even more care on the part of the duty holder.
鈥淭his case should underline to everyone in the building trade that the courts, and HSE, take a failure to follow the regulations extremely seriously. HSE will not hesitate to take action against companies and their directors which do not do all that they should to keep people safe.鈥�
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