My husband died in avoidable work accident - there has been silence since

A widowis launching legal action against a utilities giant after her husband was electrocuted to death while working.

Blair Campbell, 35, who worked as a gardener, was pruning hedges when he cut through a substation wirethree years ago. His widow, Tina, said she hasn't heard anything from Scottish Power subsidiary SP Energy. She had been expecting an apology and now plans to launch a civil action against the company for damages after the death of her husband at just 35 years old.

In 2020, Blair moved from New Zealand to Mobberley, Cheshire, where he set up his firm, Blue Kiwi Gardens and Maintenance.

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But as he was cutting hedges at a local home, he suffered a fatal electric shock when he came into contact with wires on a pole-mounted substation on October 3 ,2022. He was airlifted to hospital but died a short time later, reports the Manchester Evening News.

The inquest at Cheshire Coroner's Court heard that the pole structure of the substation had been covered in dense ivy at the time. The jury was told that this had completely covered the required warning signs, meaning that Blair was unaware of the dangers.

It was also noted by the court that before Blair’s death, numerous reports had been made about a need to remove the ivy that were not acted on.

SP Energy Networks, which maintains the substation, has now made changes to its health and safety policy following the tragic incident.

Tina, who lives in Mobberley with her two children, said she had received no apology or compensation from Scottish Power.

She said: "There was not a lot we could do prior to the inquest. Because of the complexity of the case and involvement by HSE and the police that delayed things and we had to wait two years for the inquest.

"My solicitors have been in touch since the inquest with Scottish Power sending paperwork, but basically there has been silence. As a result my solicitors have had to put the matter back into the courts.

"I believe that Scottish Power now has 28 days to respond after they were put on notice of our intentions. If that fails we will have to apply for a court date, which is unlikely to be before autumn next year. This would drag it out for another 12 months.

"The inquest was over three days with a jury and the conclusion was that they (the power company) 'more than likely contributed to the death of Blair' due to the lack of maintenance."

There were three reports about the pole needing to be cleared of ivy - including one in August 2022 - and Blair died in October that year. A report in 2021 had said there was dense ivy vegetation and urgent action was required. All the hazard warning signs were not visible.

"It was an accident that could have been totally avoided if they had done their job. Three separate inspections were taken out of a three year period, all documented, all ignored. Yet on the afternoon of the accident they went and cleared the ivy from the pole. They have now completely removed the substation, it is no longer there."

There was no prosecution by the HSE. "Even though the warning signs were not visible there was no legal time frame for the issue to be rectified after the report was made," Tina explained.

"Twelve months after the inquest I have received no apology, no response, and no compensation from Scottish Power."

Tina works full time to support her two children. She said: "The situation is ongoing and it is really stressful. My son is six and my daughter is 10 and they are very much dependent on me.

"My parents live in Shropshire and Blair's family are in New Zealand. I work for a dentist and I am fortunate to be in a job where there is some financial security. I am surrounded by an amazing network of friends and neighbours who help me with the kids.

“Blair was my soul mate. We met while I was in New Zealand and he decided to move to the UK to be with me. After that, we were inseparable and couldn’t wait to spend our future together.

“I’ll never forget the feeling when I was told that he had died. He’d gone off to work as normal and said it was only a half day so I didn’t expect it was a big job. To this day, I still wake up hoping that it’s all been a terrible nightmare."

A spokesperson for SP Energy Networks said: “The policies and procedures implemented by SPEN as part of its overall management of electrical apparatus are subject to review on an ongoing basis to take account of relevant regulatory or legislative changes, and any incidents on our network.

"Those policies were reviewed and updated following this incident, and significant resource continues to be invested to ensure the regular inspection and maintenance of our assets.

“As was reported to the HSE, SPEN places a great deal of importance on promoting a safe system of working internally within its organisation, with a view to ensuring so far as possible that members of the public are safeguarded against risks to their health and safety. We remain saddened by Mr Campbell’s death and send our deepest sympathies to his family.”

The Mirror has reached out to SP Power for further comment.