THE director of a food and drink wholesale company faces a charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice following alleged health and safety offences at the company’s Swindon warehouse.

Nilesh Chavda, 36, of Rosedale House, Purton Road, appeared before Swindon magistrates on Monday to answer allegations brought before the court by Swindon Borough Council.

It is alleged that Chavda contravened eight provisions of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 at the Swindon warehouse of N & B Foods Ltd at Oak House, Rivermead Industrial Estate, Rivermead Drive, Swindon.

All the allegations relate to health and safety inspections by Swindon Borough Council between 25 November 2014 and 21 January 2015.

Among the allegations are that Chavda failed to maintain an up-to-date health and safety policy at the warehouse in respect of fork life truck operations, lone working in a freezer and the use of a man-up cage and harness.

It is further alleged that the warehouse had inadequate lighting, that mechanical lifting arms were not certified as complying with regulations and that damage to racking in the warehouse was neither reported to an appropriate person nor repaired.

Other allegations include that no risk assessments were in place for the storage of red diesel in the garage at the premises and that fork lift truck drivers and their supervisors were not adequately trained.

The charge of perverting the course of justice relates to the alleged deleting of CCTV recordings of the warehouse and a denial by Mr Chavda that anyone in the company had access to the recordings.

Chavda is the son of the owner of N & B Foods Ltd which also has a warehouse at its base in Reading.

Because the magistrates do not have the power to deal with the charge of perverting the course of justice all the matters were referred to Swindon Crown Court to be heard on November 25, 2016.

Tom Horder, counsel on behalf of Chavda and N & B Foods Ltd, told the magistrates that the allegations would be contested.