A FIRM which paid out almost £100,000 following a death at its premises can continue to store waste to stop it being ‘crippled’.

J H Willis and Son has been given permission to import waste into its lagoons at Holme Farm, in Ince, Chester, until December 26, 2020 – 18 months after it was previously due to stop bringing waste in.

The decision was made at a Cheshire West and Chester Council planning committee meeting on Tuesday, where agent Endaf Roberts – acting on behalf of the waste management firm – called for understanding from councillors.

He said: “Since [2014] the business has unfortunately had to pay out a large court fine for health and safety reasons relating to an unfortunate fatality on this site.

“Since the incident the business has taken vast measures to avoid anything like this ever happening again, which has also resulted in a vast amount of money being spent.

“The business has also employed a full-time health and safety manager. This has led to cash flow issues, meaning that the development permitted and the phasing out the slurry lagoons on the current schedule proposed by the permission would essentially cripple the business.

“The only way to manage this current situation without staff redundancies and possibly the loss of this local, rural business as a whole is to delay the commencement of the changeover of the lagoons and the AD plant as is proposed.”

An inquest in January 2017 heard that scrap metal collector Edward Evans, 52, was electrocuted at the premises when the crane he was operating hit overhead electricity lines two years earlier.

J H Willis and Son was then fined £85,000 and ordered to pay costs of £11,823.50 after pleading guilty to breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 last December.

Cllr Eleanor Johnson, Conservative, spoke in favour of supporting the business and approving the application.

She said: “Businesses do go through ups and downs and this site is now taking health and safety very seriously, which there is a cost to.”

Cllr Brian Jones, Labour, added: “To be hard on this chap would just put him out of business, so I agree with the proposal that is being put forward.”

But Cllr Chris Whitehurst, Conservative, raised concerns that the farm’s lagoons could pose a danger to humans and animals as they are ‘open and fairly accessible’.

“I’m uneasy at putting this back 18 months to allow that risk to continue,” he said.

“I know these type of lagoons where they are crusted over have been the cause of death of both animals and individuals in the past.”

The committee was told that the farm is monitored by the Environment Agency, which had not raised concerns about the issue.

Members voted to approve the application, with the addition of a warning sign for the lagoon, by 10 votes to one.