BUILDERS at a house in Stretford were forced to flee from the site after part of it collapsed during construction work.
The team were working on a loft conversion at the three-bedroom house on Arlington Road at the time of the collapse.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which launched an investigation after the incident in May 2020, the building had insufficient supports and the builders themselves did not have sufficient skills.
Manchester Magistrates' Court heard this was due to a failure to plan, manage and monitor the loft conversion properly.
The firm responsible for the construction work, Mughal Construction Limited, was taken to court and admitted a breach of Construction (Design and Management) Regulations.
At Manchester Magistrates' Court last week, the firm was issued a fine of £30,000.
Mughal Construction Limited, which is based on Levenshulme Trading Estate, was also ordered to pay £3,000 in costs.
After the sentence, Phil Redman, an inspector for the HSE, said: "This was a very serious incident, and it is fortunate nobody was injured as a result of the collapse.
"Where contractors fail to take suitable and sufficient precautions whilst carrying out structural alterations, HSE will take appropriate action including prosecution."
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