City of York Council is urgently reviewing the status of a local building company following its conviction for safety breaches.

Cooper and Westgate of Heworth was working on a contract funded by the council when the actions of one of its employees led to the death of 81-year-old householder Kenneth Armitage.

Yesterday (Thursday, June 20) the company was convicted of failing to ensure his safety and that of the newly qualified joiner working on converting his first-floor bathroom into a wet room.

Pauline Stuchfield, the council’s director of housing and communities, said: “All at City of York Council would like to send our sincere condolences to Mr Armitage’s family on their terrible loss and express our deep concern at the tragic circumstances which led to his death.

“We expect all contractors to meet rigorous health and safety standards. Now that there has been a verdict in this case, we will urgently review the contractor's suitability to undertake future work.

"If residents have any concerns while that review is being carried out, they can get in touch with us on 01904 552300, or at housing.standards@york.gov.uk ”

Leeds Crown Court heard that the council provided Mr Armitage with a list of approved contractors for the conversion, including Cooper and Westgate, before the work started.

He asked the company for a quote and after the quote was approved, the work began.

He died when he fell through a hole that had been left in his bathroom floor without adequate safety barriers when the work was suspended over a weekend in February 2019, a jury heard.