A construction company has been fined £140,000 after a worker lost his leg near Clapham Junction station.

Rio 2016 Paralympic hopeful Ben Polidano’s life was changed when he was hit by a six tonne, steel railway bridge beam near the station, in December 2010.

Mr Polidano, who was working as a crane operator, was taken to St George’s Hospital, in Tooting, were his leg had to be amputated below the knee. His right leg was also left disfigured.

BAM Nuttall was fined £140,000 and ordered to pay costs of £42,700 at Southwark Crown Court, on September 30, following prosecution by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR).

BAM Nuttall was employed by Network Rail to demolish and replace Pouparts Bridge, between Clapham Junction and Battersea Park.

The company pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety law and causing a construction worker to suffer life-changing injuries.

Tom Wake, ORR's principal inspector of railways south-east, said: "ORR's investigation found that BAM Nuttall had not adequately planned, managed or monitored the loading, securing and unloading of these large and heavy beams. The company also failed to communicate the potential dangers to construction workers responsible for handling the beams. These serious failings are not acceptable conduct from a company in charge of high-risk construction sites across Britain's railways."

Mr Polidano, from West Sussex, became a Paralympic hopeful after taking part in a Great Britain canoeing talent day.

Stephen Fox, chief executive of BAM Nuttall, said the company was determined to learn lessons from what happened and do all it reasonably could to prevent anything similar taking place again.

He added: "I wish to express our deepest regret that Mr Ben Polidano was injured during the works that took place in December 2010 at Pouparts Bridge.

"The health and safety of staff, contractors, visitors and members of the public is BAM Nuttall's overriding priority and as such we are incredibly disappointed that such an incident occurred."