A GARDEN centre has reacted furiously after being forced to pay more than £30,000 over injuries to two elderly customers at Chilton.

The Garden Centre Group, formerly Wyevale, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court over two incidents at its Chilton branch.

Derek Barlow, 78, suffered knee and shoulder injuries when he tripped and fell over uneven pieces of concrete at the store on April 23, 2009.

At a trial in January, the company was convicted of one count of failing to discharge its duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act. It was cleared of a more serious similar charge.

On December 14, 2008, Miriam Price fractured her kneecap after getting her foot caught in a missing section of a step at the store.

In relation to that incident, The Garden Centre Group admitted failing to discharge a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act and contravening health and safety regulations.

Judge Anthony King fined The Garden Centre Group a total of £11,000 and ordered it to pay £20,000 costs and a £15 victims’ surcharge.

He said the incident involving Mrs Price was the most serious and said: “This company has been convicted of two separate matters. The first matter concerns what was undoubtedly a dangerous situation which had been allowed to remain for a period of weeks prior to the unfortunate accident which caused a serious injury to a member of the public.

“I accept entirely that this is a well-run garden centre who have been, and continue to be, concerned with the safety of members of the public.”

Vale of White Horse District Council, which pressed the prosecutions, came under fire from The Garden Centre Group chief executive, Nicholas Marshall, after the hearing.

He said the group welcomed more than 300,000 visitors a year and had just three accidents recorded in a decade — compared with 23 accidents in the past year at the council’s headquarters.

He said: “We are very angry because before the judge’s sentence, the council, for what we can only think are political reasons, came out with a press statement saying ‘dangerous garden centre’, which is complete and utter rubbish.

“This is about a council that has gone mad and has decided to take the law into its own hands. We are doing our best, like everybody in life, and the staff at the centre were really upset by the comments from the local authority.

“I am very angry about it all. Taxpayers’ money was wasted and what have they all paid for? A few idiotic people at the council to have their day in court.”

A council spokesman said: “The Vale of White Horse District Council has the duty to investigate health and safety complaints.

“Following an investigation in line with Health and Safety Executive guidelines, it was felt that there was enough evidence to warrant a prosecution against the garden centre and the result of the court case fully endorses this decision.”