The 33-year-old worker from Warrington suffered serious injuries when a two-tonne concrete slab landed on his vehicle’s cab.

Warrington-based Excavation and Contracting (UK) Ltd was prosecuted following an HSE investigation into the incident at the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club on 26 April last year.

Trafford Magistrates’ Court heard the company had been hired to demolish a two-tier stand at the stadium.

But the work had not been planned properly and the excavator had been positioned too close to the stand being demolished.

The worker sustained fractures to both legs in several places and severe cuts and bruising when a four-metre wide slab fell from the upper floor onto his vehicle.

Excavation and Contracting (UK) pleaded guilty to safety breaches and was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £12,000 in prosecution costs.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Alan Pojur said: “The excavator driver was lucky not to have been killed when the two-tonne concrete slab collapsed onto his cab.

“His life was put in danger because Excavation and Contracting (UK) Ltd didn’t plan the work properly.

“They should have arranged for a high-reach excavator to be used so that the stand could be demolished from a safe distance away. It was only after the incident that this safe method of work was implemented.”