A FIRM has been fined £18,000 after a shopper fell six feet through an open trap door in a convenience store.

Staff at Sweetland News, in Head Street, Colchester, had opened the hatch in order to read the water meter in the shop’s basement before the accident.

Another worker had been instructed to guard the hole, but had to leave the edge of the trapdoor to serve other customers.

Whilst she was away, a woman fell through the floor into the basement and suffered significant bruising all over her body.

A yellow sign warning customers window cleaning had been placed near the hole in a bid to alert people something was wrong.

Rupert Myers, prosecuting on behalf of Colchester Council said: “This could have resulted in death or serious disability.

“The woman could easily have suffered a fractured neck or skull in the fall.”

“When you walk into a business premises one does not expect there to be an opening five or six paces in front of you.”

At a previous hearing Zeyad Muhsin, director of the company Sweetland News Ltd which ran the store at the time of the incident in July last year but does not anymore, admitted failing to discharge general health and safety duty to a person other than an employee.

During sentencing at Colchester Magistrates’ Court yesterday, the firm was handed an £18,000 fine and ordered to pay £1,500 costs and a £170 victim surcharge.

Chairman of the bench Robert Clubb said: “Measures were taken to avoid injury to customers but obviously they were inadequate.

“It was only luck which meant the injuries were not more serious.

“It could quite easily have been a child attending your premises who was hurt.”

The shop - which specialises in a range of imported American sweets - is still open but is now being run by another company.

Since the incident Muhsin has sold off all the assets of the company - which operated at a loss in both of its previous business years - but it is still active.

Adam Taylor, mitigating for Sweetland News Ltd said: “There was a sign which was not specific but it was a warning sign.

“The employee had been guarding the hole like she had been told to but had to move to serve customers.

“It was usual for him to read the meter out of hours himself – after the incident it was made a requirement.

“Fortunately the person who fell only suffered bruising.”

Mr Taylor attempted to block The Gazette from reporting the results of the hearing, but his request was flatly refused by the court legal advisor.