A director from the Electrical Waste Recycling Group in Huddersfield will be sentenced next year for breaching health and safety charges.

According to the Yorkshire Post (24 November) workers at the waste electrical and electronic equipment recycling plant became sick with mercury poisoning and suffered headaches, stomach upsets and mood swings.

At Bradford Crown Court, company director Craig Thompson admitted two charges of failing to discharge his duty in relation to hazardous substances.

The company’s WEEE recycling arm was called Matrix Direct and the firm stated that it would be pleading guilty to all 10 health and safety charges.

A Health and Safety Executive spokesman confirmed that the director will be sentenced in January.

According to the Post, at an earlier hearing at Huddersfield Magistrates Court, the breaches were described as “very grave offences indeed” by HSE inspector Jeanne Morton.

Morton said: “This is a blatant example and one of the worst failings of health and safety management seen for a long time.”

She added that the factory filtration system was not working and had pumped air containing mercury vapour and lead from TVs into the factory office.

Test on 34 workers revealed that 20 showed mercury “way above the limit expected in the general population”.

According to the Post, the court was told that Thompson knew about the high levels of mercury as he was given readings carried out by his own staff but he “ignored” them and the poisoning continued.