TEENAGER Martin Major lost two fingers while working at a chicken processing factory because the company failed in its duty to protect him, magistrates heard.

The accident happened on August 6 last year when 17-year-old Mr Major was working at the Faccenda Group's Sutton Benger factory. He reached in to machinery to free a stuck chicken carcass and his hand was pulled into a skinning machine.

North Wiltshire magistrates in Chippenham were told it took 35 minutes to free him. The little and ring fingers of his right hand had to be amputated and he lost much of the skin on the back of his hand.

Faccenda pleaded guilty on Monday to failing in its duty to protect the health and safety of its staff and was fined £14,000.

Prosecuting, Jane Edwards, of the Health and Safety Executive, said the weekend before the accident a new chicken-skinning machine had been installed and there was a gap in the mesh guarding where another machine had been removed.

This left a hole next to a dangerous piece of machinery, she said.

She said that when Mr Major and his colleagues arrived at work there had been no formal handover of the line.

Dr Edwards said it was not uncommon practice at the factory for chickens to be freed by hand with the machines running as staff tried to avoid down time.

She said that management were aware that employees would remove mesh guardings to do this.

She also said that extra care should have been taken because of Mr Major's age. "This accident has led to the permanent disablement of a young person," she said.

Company director David Keeble said Faccenda had only recently taken over the site, formerly Webbs Country Foods, and was in the process of making changes to health and safety procedures when the accident happened.

He said better communication and improved procedures had been implemented since. "Faccenda very much regrets this accident and is truly sorry for the pain and distress caused," he said.

Me Keeble said that the company would offer Mr Major a job when he had recovered.