TRIBUTES have been paid to a well-known Island man, who died in front of his son after falling from scaffolding in Ryde. Dean Marden, 47, sustained fatal head injuries in the accident, which happened at a property in Lind Street on Tuesday afternoon. Self-employed scaffolder Mr Marden, of Oaklyn Gardens, Shanklin, was working with his son, Colin Marden, 21, when he fell around ten feet and hit his head on the pavement. He was given first aid at the scene and treated by paramedic but he died shortly after arriving at St Mary’s Hospital. At an inquest opening yesterday (Thursday), it was said Mr Marden lost his balance while carrying a heavy metal pole and toppled backwards, catching his leg in some railings beneath the scaffolding and hitting his head on the ground. Island coroner John Matthews described it as a freak accident. One Lind Street resident, a serving soldier, who rushed to help Mr Marden, said he heard the sound of a metal pole hitting the pavement, followed by screaming. “There were lots of people around him, his mates and people who had stopped to help,” said the 22 year old, who did not wish to be named. “I grabbed my army medical kit and put an emergency bandage on the back of his head, to keep pressure on the wound, but I knew he was in trouble because there was so much blood. “He was unconscious the whole time and there wasn’t much more we could do except wait for the ambulance.” Floral tributes have been laid at the scene of the accident, which is being investigated by the police and the Health and Safety Executive. Mr Marden owned his own business, MD Scaffold, based in Shanklin. His father Colin Marden, who also worked in the building trade, died just last month of mesothelioma, aged 70.
About 400 workers started a picket which blocked the entrance to the biofuel plant, causing traffic chaos for commuters.
Traffic returned to normal after the workers ended the blockade at around 9.30am.
The dispute involves mechanical contractors for Redhall Engineering, a firm based in Middlesbrough, who are working at the Saltend site.
They have accused Redhall Engineering of not sticking to a national agreement on redundancies.
Strikers say the company should be offering redundancy specific to individual contracts, not to its employees nationally.
Keith Gibson, a GMB member who works on the site, told the Mail: “All we want is for Redhalls to honour the national agreement.
“It is an unofficial strike, we have not taken a ballot, but we want action and we want it now.”
The strikers were made up of scaffolders, electricians, welders and other mechanical engineers.
Mr Gibson said shop stewards were in conversation with Redhall officials about the matter.
A spokesman for BP said: “We wish to confirm that the disruption caused in the Saltend area this morning has involved contractors working for Redhall Engineering Services Ltd who are working on the Vivergo Fuels Limited project.”
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It is believed he may have fallen from scaffolding in Lind Street. He was taken to St Mary’s Hospital where he later died as a result of the injuries.
DS John Stirling from Newport told Isle of Wight Radio: “They were fitting the scaffolding up yesterday afternoon and it appears one of the men who were fitting the scaffolding has fallen off the scaffolding. He’s injured his head in the fall and sadly when he’s gone to St Mary’s Hospital he’s died a short time later.
“The police are working closely with the Health and Safety Executive looking at all the circumstances surrounding the death, but we have now finished at the scene.
“The coroner has been informed, there will be an inquest and a post mortem will be carried out over the next few days.
Speaking at the scene, DS Stirling added: “It looks like an accident. THe Health and Safety Executive will look at it a little bit closer to see how the structure was put up in the first place.”
Report by Emma Philo
Via: www.iwradio.co.uk 
A spokeswoman for the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service, said: “We sent one rapid response vehicle, and an ambulance to the scene.
“On arrival crews found one man who is believed to have fallen approximately 35 ft. It is believed he was up some scaffolding at the time, doing some work to the roof.
A spokesman for St Mary’s Hospital said “The man has been treated for multiple injuries, including a serious head injury”. A specialist from the Southampton Neurology unit is carrying out a further assessment on the man .
A spokesman for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police confirmed a probe had been launched and they are working with the building company and the HSE
Via: www.iwgazette.co.uk 
Christian John Garland, of 3 Derwen Deg in Pontardawe, admitted selling scaffolding and a lorry belonging to dad Brian Cooper in June 2010 and pocketing the cash without his father’s knowledge.
Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told the court that on June 9, Garland sold £220 worth of scaffolding equipment to a rival firm.
The following day he sold the same firm another £800 worth of scaffolding and some days later sold another £600 worth of equipment.
Garland also sold his father’s Leyland DAF lorry for £600 on June 14.
Ammanford magistrates were told that Mr Cooper had been serving a jail term at the time of the thefts and was unaware of the sell-off.
Ms Vaughan told the court that Garland has been given the keys to his father’s business premises in Glanaman because the firm was facing mounting debts in Mr Cooper’s absence.
Garland had initially claimed he was selling off the equipment to meet outstanding rent arrears on the premises.
Hywel Davies, defending, told the court that Garland had worked for his father prior to the latter’s imprisonment.
“When his dad went into custody he was left running the unit,” said Mr Davies.
“Business went downhill and he started selling off the items to pay the bills.
“However he does accept that he did not give anything back to his father.”
The court was told that Garland had spent all the money raised on new clothes.
“His relationship with his father had now broken down because of this,” said Mr Davies.
Magistrates adjourned sentencing for the completion of probation reports, but told Garland that even though he could be sent to jail for the thefts, they would limit his sentence to a high-level community order.
Garland will next appear at Llanelli Magistrates Court on March 9 for sentencing.
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