Forge worker William Heslop was seriously injured when the machine shattered leaving him with 10 compound fractures in his right leg and five to his left leg and ankle.

As revealed on the Hartlepool Mail website yesterday, Caparo Engineering (ok), trading as Clydesdale Forge company, of Brenda Road, Hartlepool, was fined £14,000 and ordered to pay £4,989 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching health and safety regulations.

After the hearing, the 60-year-old told the Mail how his life was dramatically changed by the events of September 8, 2006.

Following the horrific incident, factory worker William, known as Billy, said that he quickly sunk into depression after being told by doctors that he might lose his leg.

He spent three months bedridden and a further four months unable to move properly.

Even now he faces the prospect of having his right leg rebuilt by surgeons.

He said: "I was thinking that I might never walk again and I might lose my leg.

"I was thinking how are my family going to manage without money, there's still bills to pay."

He remembers how the incident unfolded at 4am.

"It was getting towards the end of my shift and I went to start the machine up. I pressed the button and next thing I turned around and I was on the floor.

"I was in immense pain.

"I was screaming and my workmates tried to lift the machinery off me and I got to the stage where there's that much pain that you don't know," he said.

His wife, Linda, 55, told of how she nursed him, saying the had to do everything for him.

"He was just not mobile at all. If he needed to be in the bathroom I had to take him and bring him food and drink," she said.

Luckily, William's left leg has heeled well and he has escaped the threat of amputation.

But his right leg, which is held together by a rod, remained in plaster for seven months and he has now been told by his orthopedic surgeon that his bones have not joined.

He said: "The surgeon wants to re-build my leg.

"It means I will have to go through the process again of being laid-up."

The couple, of Dunoon Road, Hartlepool, have two sons, Paul, 32, of Seaton Carew and David, 29, who lives in Oxford.

William had worked for the company for 32 years and is left walking with a stick.

He said: "I don't know whether I will be able to go back to work. I feel annoyed towards the company because as it's been said, it could have been prevented."

Hartlepool Magistrates' Court heard how heavy parts of the casing were strewn across the floor when the power hammer disintegrated.

Doctor David Shallow, prosecuting for the Health and Safety Executive, told the court that a "catastrophic disintegration" of the machinery caused the incident.

It happened after a counterbalance came loose and "flew out" leaving the shattered casing on the factory floor.

Mititigating for the company, Andrew Stacey admitted that lubrication checks recommended by the manufacturer were not carried out as thoroughly as they should have been between April and July 2006.

But he said measures had since been taken to ensure the safety of similar, but smaller machines, including strapping being fitted to the counter balances inside.

He added: "On behalf of the company I express their sincere regret and apologise both to Mr and Mrs Heslop."

The court heard how Mr Heslop has already received interim compensation payments and that a full settlement would be made at a later date.