Halfords fined £600,000 after Staffordshire tyre fitter, 21, crushed to death by truck

Halfords has been ordered to pay a £600,000 fine following the tragic death of 21-year-old Staffordshire tyre fitter, who was fatally crushed by a truck while working on the roadside near the M56 motorway in Cheshire.

Niall Fawcett, from Talke in Staffordshire, was attending to a blown-out tyre on a low-profile truck shortly before 8:30pm on August 2, 2024, when the vehicle slipped from the hydraulic bottle jack he had positioned beneath it. The truck fell on him, causing fatal head injuries.

Known locally as Stumpy, Niall was due to marry the following year and was saving for a home with his fiancée Megan.

His mother, Sharon Fawcett, expressed her heartbreak, saying: “Niall was only 21 years old when he died. He had his whole life ahead of him. He was planning to marry the following year and he and Megan were saving for a deposit on their first home together and talking about starting a family.

“Niall was building for a life he was excited for and this was taken from him in an instant. Niall went to work that day and should have been safe, supported and protected. Instead, my son never came home.”

An air ambulance was dispatched to the scene on the M56 slip road near Bowdon, in Cheshire, but Niall was pronounced dead at the scene. An inquest was opened and adjourned on August 21, 2024.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched an investigation that revealed Halfords, formerly Lodge Tyre Company Limited, failed to properly assess the risks of replacing tyres on low-profile vehicles at the roadside.

The company was also found to have neglected to provide adequate work instructions or guidance on when a vehicle should be recovered rather than repaired on site. Furthermore, Niall had only been licensed to work on commercial tyres at the roadside for less than four months and was not subject to sufficient supervision or monitoring to ensure safe working practices.

Halfords Commercial Fleet Services Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on November 3, 2026. Alongside the £600,000 fine, the company was ordered to pay a £200 victim surcharge and £24,203 in costs.

HSE Principal Inspector Laura Royales commented: “This case should serve to highlight to employers the importance of properly assessing the risks to which their workers are exposed and providing the right information and instructions, supplemented by adequate monitoring and supervision arrangements, to ensure that they can and do work safely.

“Our thoughts remain with Niall’s family as they continue to come to terms with their tragic loss.”

A Halfords spokesperson said the company had cooperated fully with the HSE investigation and offered its “deepest sympathies” to Niall’s family. They added: “The health and safety of our colleagues is our highest priority, and we are committed to continually reviewing and strengthening our approach.

“Both prior to, and since the incident in 2024, we have invested in continuously improving our health and safety culture. More recently we have adopted industry-leading standards, delivered comprehensive training for colleagues, and undertaken detailed risk assessments to identify and address potential hazards.”