Audio By Carbonatix
Tesco has been fined more than £500,000 after a 10-year-old child was electrocuted by a freezer unit.
The child suffered a small burn, chest and leg pains after they reached to get an ice lolly from the freezer at a store in Warfield, Bracknell.
The Public Protection Service said a live wire had become damaged and exposed and was sticking out under a rail on the freezer.
Tesco fined £500,000 after child electrocutedhttps://t.co/Rulf5PzbLx
— BBC South (@BBCSouthNews) December 18, 2020
The supermarket giant pleaded guilty to two health and safety offences.
It was fined £268,000 for each offence at Reading Magistrates Court.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service said an investigation found the incident in July 2017 happened after staff failed to fix an issue with the electrical supply to a glass heating element under a handrail on the front of the freezer.
Subsequent reviews of records showed the freezer's rail was known to be loose and had temporary fixes of glue or tape months prior to the accident.
Councillor John Harrison, head of public protection at Bracknell Forest Council, said the investigation "revealed significant breaches of health and safety legislation".
Tesco was sentenced on Tuesday and ordered to pay costs of £25,750.91.
Latest Stories
-
Ghana’s Dr Bernard Appiah appointed to WHO Technical Advisory Group on alcohol and drug epidemiology
8 minutes -
2026 World Cup: Ghana drawn against England, Croatia and Panama in Group L
12 minutes -
3 dead, 6 injured in Kpando–Aziave road crash
19 minutes -
Government to deploy 60,000 surveillance cameras nationwide to tackle cybercrime
44 minutes -
Ghana DJ Awards begins 365-day countdown to 2026 event
48 minutes -
Making Private University Charters Optional in Ghana: Implications and Opportunities
49 minutes -
Mampong tragedy: Students among 30 injured as curve crash kills three
58 minutes -
Ken Agyapong salutes farmers, promises modernisation agenda for agriculture
1 hour -
Team Ghana wins overall best project award at CALA Advanced Leadership Programme graduation
1 hour -
FIFA gives President Donald Trump a peace prize at 2026 World Cup draw
1 hour -
2025 National Best Farmer urges government to prioritise irrigation infrastructure
1 hour -
EPA CEO to be installed as Nana Ama Kum I, Mpuntu Hemaa of Abura traditional area
2 hours -
Mahama to launch School Agriculture Programme, requiring farms across all schools
2 hours -
Tanzania blocks activists online as independence day protests loom
2 hours -
ECOWAS launches new regional projects to strengthen agriculture and livestock systems
2 hours
