Smiths to appear in Court
As if retailers did not have woes enough, sometimes it seems their misfortunes are self-inflicted. WH Smith (Retail Holdings) Limited will appear at Taunton Crown Court on 31 October 2018 for sentencing after an investigation by Taunton Deane Borough Council found inadequacies in the system of work, exposing both staff members and customers to danger. Back in may WH Smith Ltd pleaded guilty to the offences.
A 64 year old customer was hospitalised with severe leg injuries after falling nearly three metres into a basement through an open trapdoor on the shop floor during trading hours. A member of staff could also have been severely injured, but escaped with bruising.
Oddly enough, this is not the first time this has happened at a WH Smith store. An Environmental Health Officer intervention was necessary at the WH Smith store in Tenby which had a similar basement giving rise to similar dangers. Another WH Smith store at Southwold, Suffolk, was also found to have an inadequately controlled basement storage access issues.
TDBC investigators found that the accident at Taunton was forseeable and preventable.