A MAN who fell through a roof had been told to carry out repairs ordered by a safety inspector, it has been claimed.

Peter Bieliauskas was still critically ill with head injuries in hospital today after plunging about 20ft on Wednesday, August 9.

He had been working on the roof of the premises of J L Pinder and Sons, at Stoke Prior, near Bromsgrove.

The 48-year-old, from Birmingham, was airlifted to Selly Oak Hospital following the accident at Hanbury Road.

"Our premises were visited about a month ago by the Factory Inspectorate, who told us the roof was leaking and said it ought to be repaired," said the business owner, John Pinder.

Mr Pinder, who in 1953 set up the firm, which builds Dutch barges and canal boats, said he did not know exactly what had happened as he was not present at the time of Mr Bieliauskas's accident.

"The roof has corrugated steel panels, which are covered in bitumen and they were marked with red crosses indicating they were dangerous," said Mr Pinder.

"I had two staff who were waiting for the delivery of some rolled steel. They got on with the repair work in the meanwhile and one of them fell through the roof."

He said he was "keeping his fingers crossed" in the hope that Mr Bieliauskas would pull through.