KENT-based company Romney Marsh Potato Company have been fined a total of £3,000 and its director Mr Nicholas Winmill fined £750, for breaches of health and safety law at Folkestone Magistrates' Court.

The prosecutions followed a Health and Safety Executive investigation into an incident in which an employee drunk an agricultural pesticide that had been decanted into a milk bottle.

The incident occurred on 4 June 2003 at the company's premises Cockreed Lane, New Romney, Kent.

Kirsty Welsh, HM Inspector of Safety and Health, said: "The cases arose following an investigation into an accident where an employee was hospitalised after inadvertantly drinking a pesticide.

“Pesticides are hazardous and employers have a duty to ensure they are only used by competent, trained employees.

“In this case the employees were not trained and were therefore ignorant about how to store and use pesticides safely. Had they have been trained this accident could have been avoided.

"A director of the company, Mr Winmill, was prosecuted in addition to the company. Mr Winmill was a trained agronomist familiar with the legal requirement for safe pesticide use.

"He failed in his duty as an individual to pass relevant information and advice to pass on relevant information and advice, which may have prevented the accident.”