A FARMING company has been fined £120,000 after a North Yorkshire man was killed while working on its land.

Edward Pybus, 21, of Northallerton, was harvesting crops at Chute Farm, in Upper Chute, Wiltshire, in 2007, when the combine harvester he was driving caught an 11,000 volt power line.

As he got out of the vehicle, Mr Pybus received a fatal shock of 6,300 volts. A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the farm managers Velcourt Ltd had failed to inspect, monitor or audit health and safety management at the farm, and no risk assessments had been carried out for working in fields with overhead power lines.

Mr Pybus’s mother, Rachel, said: “Edward was a wonderful young man, funny, vibrant, on the brink of his adult life with so many plans, hopes and dreams.

“He was to start a new job after the harvest and was hoping to set up home with his girlfriend. None of us can really believe he is gone.”

Velcourt pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety Act, and were also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £45,000.