Serco fined £240,000 over litter-picking van crash in Norfolk which killed 'much-loved' son

A waste firm has been fined £240,000 after a man was killed when the lorry he was travelling in crashed into litter-picking vans.

The Serco vans were blocking the inside lane of the A11 dual carriageway near Attleborough in Norfolk when the crash happened.

Tony Skerratt, 44, from Enfield, was in the passenger seat of a Wren Kitchens lorry when it hit the vans at around 12.45pm on 26 February, 2019.

The vans had been moving along the road slowly, stopping from time to time to allow bags of rubbish to be collected.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Serco, who had been contracted by Breckland District Council to carry out the work, had not given its employees proper instructions and were not supervising them to ensure they were working safely.

In a statement, Mr Skerratt’s family said: "The pain the family feels is as tender as the day we heard the worst possible news imaginable.

"The court case has been ongoing for so long, the wounds are unable to heal until justice is served. Tony was the youngest of four children and the only son to mum and dad.

"They grieve for the loss of their son – the pain of losing a child is something you can never recover from.

"It wasn’t Tony’s time to go, otherwise we would have had the chance to say goodbye."

Serco Limited, with head offices based at Bartley Wood Business Park, Hampshire pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £240,000 and ordered to pay costs of £37,074 at Norwich Crown Court on 23 June.

HSE inspector Saffron Turnell said: "This was a tragic incident where the death of a member of the public could have easily been prevented had Serco Ltd implemented and monitored the robust management systems required to ensure such a high-risk activity could be carried out safely.

"The company’s failings put its employees and those using the dual carriageway at significant risk and this incident has left a family grieving the loss of much loved son, brother and uncle. Our thoughts remain with the family."

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