The widow of a gardener who tragically lost his life due to electrocution while trimming hedges is pursuing a legal case in the High Court against his employer.

In October 2022, Blair Campbell, aged 35, was working on an ivy-covered bush and inadvertently severed wires connected to a pole-mounted substation.

The father of two was urgently airlifted to a hospital after the incident occurred in Mobberley, near Wilmslow, Cheshire, but unfortunately passed away shortly thereafter.

An inquest revealed that the dense ivy on the bush had obscured warning signs for the substation, leaving Blair unaware of the lurking danger.

His heartbroken widow, Tina Liu-Campbell, 42, is now taking legal action against SP Manweb PLC, a leading UK electricity network company, in response to the death of her beloved ‘soul mate’.

The company, responsible for the upkeep of the substation, has stated that it has since revised its health and safety protocols.

However, the firm, which is part of Scottish Power, has denied liability for Blair’s death in a civil claim.

Lawyers have now issued proceedings in the High Court on behalf of Tina arguing the firm’s health and safety breaches were responsible for Blair’s death.

Father-of-two Blair Campbell (pictured with wife Tina), 35, died after he accidentally hit a substation wire covered in ivy in October 2022

Tina, of Knutsford, Cheshire, said: ‘Blair was my soul mate.

‘We met while I was in New Zealand and he later decided to move to the UK to be with me. From that point on, we were inseparable.

‘Our future together has been taken from me and the children, and it’s still incredibly difficult to come to terms with how suddenly everything changed.

‘The hurt and pain we feel over Blair’s death is still as raw now as it was on the day he was taken from us.

‘I’ll never forget the moment I was told he had died. No one expects their husband to go to work and never come home.

‘Even now, I still wake up hoping it’s all been a terrible nightmare.

‘Taking this case to the High Court is something I never imagined I would have to do, but I feel I owe it to Blair and to our children to make sure what happened to him is fully understood.

‘No family should ever have to go through this.

His is widow Tina (pictured together with their children) says she has still received no apology or compensation from SP Energy Networks – part of Scottish Power – who operated the station

‘All I want is clarity and justice, so steps can be taken to help prevent anything like this happening again.’

Within court papers, law firm Irwin Mitchell argues a number of legal breaches occurred regarding safety at the site where Blair died.

This includes that SP Manweb PLC failed to ensure that members of the public were not exposed to danger from the high-voltage electrical equipment at the site.

The inquest also heard prior to Blair’s death, numerous reports had been made about the need to remove the ivy, which were not acted upon.

It is argued the firm failed to keep the support pole, substation and surrounding area in a reasonably safe condition and allowed extensive ivy to grow, concealing warning signs.

SP Manweb PLC also failed to ensure high-voltage wires were adequately insulated or protected, lawyers claim.

Steve Hill, the workplace accident lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Tina, said: ‘Tina and her family remain devastated by Blair’s death and the circumstances surrounding it.

‘The inquest heard worrying evidence regarding health and safety at the site which we believe played a key role in Blair’s unnecessary death. Despite this SP Manweb PLC has denied liability.

‘All Tina wants is for all lessons possible to be learned from what happened to improve health and safety for other workers.

‘Despite the seriousness of this case, it’s regrettable that SP Manweb PLC has failed to resolve the claim amicably.

‘Therefore, we call on the company to work with us to resolve this case as quickly as possible so that Tina and her family can try to start rebuilding their lives after this awful tragedy.’

SP Manweb PLC is part of ScottishPower’s networks business, SP Energy Networks.

A spokesperson for SP Energy Networks said: ‘We extend our condolences to Mr Campbell’s family and friends.

‘As this matter is currently the subject of legal proceedings, we are unable to comment further at this time.’