Michael Allen is 64 years old. His penalty for failing to pay a £274,671 fine for health & safety offences that led to life changing injuries to an amployee of his construction company is a ban from being the director of a company for six years.

Michael Allen was the director of building company Allen & Hunt Construction Engineers Ltd in Derbyshire, which was fined in November 2016 for health & safety offences that had resulted in life-changing injuries to an employee who fell through a roof.

Rather than pay the fine, Michael Allen liquidated the company. He told investigators that the business closed down because it could not afford to pay the fine.

But after the accident he had formed a new company, incorporated in October 2014. It carried out fabrication services, just like Allen & Hunt Construction Engineers Ltd, although the installation side of the business was wound down.

Investigations by the Insolvency Service found that if the fabrication contracts had remained within Allen & Hunt Construction Engineers Ltd there would have been sufficient funds to pay the fine.

Michael Allen's ban from directly or indirectly becoming involved, without the permission of the court, in the promotion, formation or management of a company is effective from 27 June 2018.

Dave Elliott, Chief Investigator for the Insolvency Service, said: "Michael Allen had a lack of regard for the workers, which unfortunately resulted in a horrific injury for one person. Directors who fail to adhere to health & safety regulations to protect their employees and then fail to pay the fine can expect to face the consequences of a period of disqualification."