The trial of a water company is set to take place this week after a worker was crushed to death by a vehicle.

Raymond Holmes, from Rayleigh, was working at Thames Water’s Coppermill Lane Site in Walthamstow when he was in collision with the vehicle.

The company is being prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive in a case being heard at Southwark Crown Court.

Mr Holmes, 60, was killed while working in a confined space at the site.

He was an employee of Thames Water at the time and a member of the GMB trade union.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) gave serious consideration to placing workplace manslaughter charges in this case but decided against it earlier this year passing the case to the Health and Safety Executive.

Thames Water is facing a single charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act, namely failure to esure the health, safety and welfare of its employees.

The incident happened on April 30 2010, drawing criticism from unions about the length of time the case has taken to get to court.

Waltham Forest Trades Council, a local TUC body, has remembered Raymond and others who have died at work in the area every year on Workers Memorial Day, held annually on April 28 calling for an end to deaths and injuries at work.

The case will be heard on Friday.