Forest Hill crane collapse - latest news + pictures

Bromley-based Deco Design & Build has been confirmed as the contractor which operated the site in Forest Hill, South London, where a crane collapsed on Tuesday morning.

View exclusive pictures of the Forest Hill crane collapse.

A director of the firm, Rob Copper, has visited the site with a Health and Safety Executive inspector.

The jib of the tower crane, thought to be a Raimondi LR60, collapsed on the site at Bird in Hand Passage, Forest Hill, at around 10am Tuesday morning. It is understood that nobody was hurt in the accident and experts have said the main tower of the crane is stable, so there is no need to evacuate the site or dismantle the compete crane.

The crane was in use at the time of the incident which knocked over several concrete pillars. Suspicions that it failed in high winds do not appear to be justified as Met Office records shows a maximum wind speed of 8 knots.

Jerry Swain UCATT regional secretary for London and the South East, said: “Through sheer luck we are not talking about another fatality. The level of accidents involving cranes is so high that workers fear that there must be some kind of fundamental flaw in their operation or installation.”

There have been eight deaths and 24 serious injuries as a result of crane accidents since 2000.