AN INSURANCE company has been ordered to pay £12,300 after being taken to court by Bromley Council for breaching health and safety regulations.
Churchill Insurance was prosecuted after a flagpole fell from the ninth floor of the company's head office in Churchill Court, Westmoreland Road, Bromley, in January, 2004 hitting a passer-by.
The man received a minor injury to the back of one of his legs.
The flagpole had been there since 1999 but Bromley Council's research showed no-one had carried out regular inspections to check it was safe.
Churchill Insurance pleaded guilty to contravening Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act and was given a £10,000 fine and made to pay £2,300 costs at Bromley Magistrates' Court on February 1.
The court heard how the firm co-operated with Bromley Council's investigation and has decided not to put another flagpole on the Churchill Court building.
Environmental health officer Stuart Pike said: "This was an alarming incident and it is fortunate nobody was seriously injured.
"This underlines the importance of regular safety checks to minimise the potential for mishap."
Churchill Insurance refused to say if the man had received any compensation for his injuries.
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