A young workman, crushed to death when tons of soil collapsed on him in a trench, died accidentally, an inquest jury has found.

The jury of seven women and three men returned the verdict yesterday following a three-day hearing at Bradford Coroner’s Court.

The jury concluded that Andrew Lancaster, 23, was engaged in excavation at a building site in Bingley Road, Heaton, Bradford, on October 18 last year, when he “entered a high-risk environment,” the trench, which was between two-and-a-half and three metres deep, and a collapse of soil occurred, resulting in him suffering fatal injuries and almost instant death.

See Saturday's T&A for the full story