Boots in dock over practice collapse

Staff at Boots Opticians could face jail after the company pleaded guilty to safety failures when part of a practice collapsed on a woman in 2003.

The incident emphasises the importance of health and safety checks in the profession, and this week Boots said it was 'let down' by its contractors.

Three years ago Optician reported that part of the roof had collapsed at the Market Place practice in Rugby and that a shopper had been injured.
Last week the company appeared at Rugby magistrates court and admitted it was guilty. However, the magistrates said that their powers of sentencing were insufficient and referred the case to a Crown Court at a date to be fixed.

Pensioner Ann Cole suffered a fractured skull and a blood clot on the brain, reported the Coventry Evening Telegraph (April 27) after bricks and rubble rained down on her in July 2003.

Graham Cliff, prosecuting, said Boots Opticians knew the shop wall was unstable 17 months before the accident but failed to act. Sixty-eight-year-old Cole, who had previously travelled extensively, told the paper that she was now afraid of air travel after suffering her head injuries. She received an undisclosed sum from Boots.

A Boots spokeswoman said: 'We believe we had a good process in place for ensuring the proper maintenance and safety of our property but were badly let down by our contractors. We have fully reviewed the procedures and put new processes in place to ensure this remains an isolated incident. We fully accept the court's findings.'