Two businesses have been fined more than £1m over the “horrifying” death of a labourer who was buried alive.

33-year-old, Gheorghita Arsene, as fatally crushed when a deep trench collapsed and covered him in soil while working on a construction site in Banstead, in June 2020.

Appledorn Developments and T Vaughan Limited were found guilty of a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 following a three-month trial at the Old Bailey.

In a statement, Arsene’s mother Ienuta said he was a “good man” who was trying to support his family.