A Sussex company has been fined £8,000 after a workman suffered major head injuries when he crashed through a roof.

David Brammer, 52, from Eastbourne, went to the Partco depot in Eddison Road, Eastbourne, on March 26 last year after staff reported a leak to his company, Circle Britannia, based in London.

He crashed seven metres through a skylight receiving horrific head injuries and is a patient at a rehabilitation centre in Dover.

Yesterday at Eastbourne Magistrates Court, Circle Britannia managing director Lawrence Green admitted his company had failed to ensure the safety of Mr Brammer in the workplace.

The case against the company had been brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Andrew Cook, prosecuting on behalf of the HSE, told the court Mr Brammer, who joined the company in 1998, and a colleague visited the factory on March 7 to fix a leak and went on the roof to seal holes.

He returned alone two weeks later and again went up on the roof.

Mr Cook said: "Mr Brammer was a skilled handyman but he had not received any training in roofwork, neither had his supervisor."

He said the company relied too heavily on the keenness and self-motivation of their staff to get the job done.

Malcolm Fortune, defending the company, said although all employees were given a copy of a manual laying out health and safety guidelines on roofwork and working at a height, Mr Brammer had gone onto the roof against these rules.

He said: "He was instructed to view the roof from the ground, then report back to the call centre.

"He was not instructed by Circle Britannia to go up on the roof to affect any repair because two operators were needed."

It was the first time Circle Britannia had been reported to the HSE in the ten years it had been trading.

Magistrates said the fine had been reduced by one third as Mr Green had pleaded guilty promptly. Circle Britannia must also pay a further £5,121 in costs.