John Lewis faces safety breach fine

HIGH street retailer John Lewis is facing a substantial fine after it was revealed it failed to carry out proper safety checks while refurbishing premises in Edinburgh - leading to 15 construction workers potentially being exposed to asbestos.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard yesterday that some of the men were told to carry on touching danger areas even after the alarm had been raised.

John Lewis, along with contractors Morris and Spottiswood, both pleaded guilty to breaches of health and safety.

Between July 21 and 24, 2008, the department store at the St James Centre called in the contractors to carry out a refurbishment.

The court heard that neither of the two companies carried out the necessary checks for asbestos before work began.

Sheriff Jarvie agreed that the mistake had not been "cavalier", but said she needed time to look over all of the details and deferred sentencing.