A young mother died after she was received a huge electric shock after negligence by two construction workers turned her flat into a walking death trap.

Emma Shaw was hit with 240 volts as she tried to stop her flat being flooded in December. It is believed that she was advised by her mother to turn off her stopcock inside her kitchen cupboard when she noticed the flat was starting to flood.

But she did not know the stopcock had become live after a screw penetrated an electric cable during construction work at her home in Grafton Road, West Bromwich.

She left her young son in the living room as she attempted to stop the flat from flooding but was later pronounced dead at Sandwell hospital.

Tomkins, 52, of Rowley Village, and Hoult, 53, of Dane Terrace, both Rowley Regis have each denied breaching Health and Safety at Work regulations by failing to discharge their duty correctly.

Richard Matthews QC, prosecuting, told Wolverhampton Crown Court the negligence of electrician Christopher Tomkins and supervisor Neil Hoult resulted in her death.

“Through their negligence an extremely dangerous situation was allowed to persist for at least 21 months until the events of 2007 unfolded,” Mr Matthews said.

Tomkins claimed to have tested and inspected electrical installations in the flat and signed documents to indicate it was problem-free and safe.

He said an investigation revealed the screw had gone into the cable during the construction phase, causing the metal frame in the wall to become charged with electricity.

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