A teenage apprentice lost the tops of two fingers after a Forest firm failed to fit a guard.

The 17-year-old was working at The Albany Engineering Company in Lydney in May when the glove on his right hand caught in a rotating cutter, slicing off the tops of his index and middle fingers to the first joint.

The company, which produces industrial pumps, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive.

Cheltenham Magistrates' Court heard this week that the apprentice and another worker had been holding a metal plate under a milling cutter to stop it vibrating, but there were no guards in place.

The firm had been issued with five enforcement notices requiring improvements to machinery guarding, including milling machines, following a HSE visit to its Bradford site in September 2010.

Changes were made at the Yorkshire factory but not at the Lydney HQ. Albany was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £1,962 costs after admitting failing to ensure the safety of workers and failing to prevent access to dangerous machine parts.

HSE inspector Caroline Bird said: "A teenage apprentice, just entering the world of work, lost parts of two fingers because Albany Engineering didn't do enough to look after his safety.

"He should never have been holding the metal plate and, had suitable machinery guards been in place on the milling machine, his fingers would not have come into contact with the rotating cutter.

"The company failed to adopt a safe system of work on this machine and failed to carry out a proper risk assessment of the work. The training of this young person was also inadequate."