Widow of gardener electrocuted while cutting hedges takes case to High Court
"No one expects their husband to go to work and never come home"
Tina Liu Campbell with her late husband Blair who was electrocuted.
The widow of a landscape gardener who died after being electrocuted while pruning hedges is taking High Court legal action against his employer. Blair Campbell, 35, was carrying out work on an ivy-covered bush when he accidentally cut through wires on a pole-mounted substation in October 2022.
The dad-of-two was airlifted to hospital after the horror unfolded at a house in Mobberley - but tragically died shortly after. An inquest concluded the substation thick ivy on the bush had covered warning signs about the substation meaning Blair was unaware of the danger underneath.
His devastated widow, Tina Liu-Campbell, 42, is now suing major UK electricity network power provider SP Manweb PLC following the death of her "soul mate". The electricity distribution company which was responsible for maintaining the substation, made changes to its health and safety policy, it said.
However, the firm, which is part of Scottish Power, has denied liability for Blair’s death in a civil claim. Lawyers have now issued proceedings in the High Court on behalf of Tina arguing the firm’s health and safety breaches were responsible for Blair’s death.
Tina, of Knutsford, Cheshire, said: “Blair was my soul mate. We met while I was in New Zealand and he later decided to move to the UK to be with me. From that point on, we were inseparable. Our future together has been taken from me and the children, and it’s still incredibly difficult to come to terms with how suddenly everything changed.
"The hurt and pain we feel over Blair’s death is still as raw now as it was on the day he was taken from us. I’ll never forget the moment I was told he had died. No one expects their husband to go to work and never come home. Even now, I still wake up hoping it’s all been a terrible nightmare.
"Taking this case to the High Court is something I never imagined I would have to do, but I feel I owe it to Blair and to our children to make sure what happened to him is fully understood. No family should ever have to go through this. All I want is clarity and justice, so steps can be taken to help prevent anything like this happening again.”
Within court papers, law firm Irwin Mitchell argues a number of legal breaches occurred regarding safety at the site where Blair died. This includes that SP Manweb PLC failed to ensure that members of the public were not exposed to danger from the high-voltage electrical equipment at the site.
The inquest also heard prior to Blair’s death, numerous reports had been made about the need to remove the ivy, which were not acted upon. It is argued the firm failed to keep the support pole, substation and surrounding area in a reasonably safe condition and allowed extensive ivy to grow, concealing warning signs.
SP Manweb PLC also failed to ensure high-voltage wires were adequately insulated or protected, lawyers claim. Steve Hill, the workplace accident lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Tina, said: “Tina and her family remain devastated by Blair’s death and the circumstances surrounding it.
“The inquest heard worrying evidence regarding health and safety at the site which we believe played a key role in Blair’s unnecessary death. Despite this SP Manweb PLC has denied liability. All Tina wants is for all lessons possible to be learned from what happened to improve health and safety for other workers. Despite the seriousness of this case, it’s regrettable that SP Manweb PLC has failed to resolve the claim amicably.
"Therefore, we call on the company to work with us to resolve this case as quickly as possible so that Tina and her family can try to start rebuilding their lives after this awful tragedy.”
SP Manweb PLC is part of ScottishPower's networks business, SP Energy Networks. A spokesperson for SP Energy Networks said: "We extend our condolences to Mr Campbell’s family and friends. As this matter is currently the subject of legal proceedings, we are unable to comment further at this time."