Electrical chain Comet has been fined £75,000 with nearly £25,000 costs after the death of a roof worker at a Wrexham store.

Comet had previously admitted failing to ensure the safety of Paul Alker, who fell through a skylight in 2007.

The Judge at Mold Crown Court, his honour Rhys Rowlands, said it was an "accident waiting to happen".

A previous hearing was told Mr Alker, and a colleague, had not been supplied with roofing harnesses.

House prices rose again in June but only by 0.1%, according to the Nationwide building society.

The rise follows a 0.5% increase in May, with the average property in the UK now costing more than £170,000.

Prices have risen by 3% since the start of the year, the Nationwide's house price index showed.

However, the rate of annual house price inflation fell again to 8.7%, with prices rising more slowly than they did this time last year.

There has been a further rise in the amount of credit card lending being written off by UK banks and other financial institutions.

Figures from the Bank of England show that write-offs rose to £1.25bn in the first three months of 2010.

That was the second-highest quarterly amount on record.

Last year, a record £4.12bn was written off by credit card lenders, amounting to about 10% of all money lent on credit cards.

New rules to protect struggling mortgage holders have been outlined by the Financial Services Authority (FSA).

The rules seek to help people who have fallen behind on their mortgage payments, with the FSA saying they must be treated fairly by lenders.

The FSA also wants to ensure all mortgage advisers have been approved as "fit and proper" persons.

It has also announced new rules for staff and firms operating in the "sale and rent back" market.

A High Court judge has criticised the Prince of Wales for an "unexpected and unwelcome" intervention in a planned £1bn complex at Chelsea Barracks.

Developer CPC Group claimed its Qatari partner pulled out after the prince attacked the proposed design.

It gained a partial victory when Mr Justice Vos ruled that the Qatari group breached its contract.

He refused to award CPC Group the £68m value of the deal but will consider a claim for damages or loss of earnings.

A factory in Ashton-under-Lyne has been fined £26,000 after one of its workers suffered major injuries when he became trapped in rotating machinery.

Mortgage lending continued its spring rise into May, according to the British Bankers' Association.

The number of mortgages approved for house purchases rose to its highest level so far this year.

A total of 36,709 loans were approved by the major banks for people buying a property during the month.

It was the third month in a row of rising mortgage approvals, and left the amount outstanding 4.3% higher than in May 2009.

The BBA represents the High Street banks, which account for 75% of new mortgage lending.

Source: BBC News

An electrician employed by East Ayrshire Council died because of failings of his employer, a court heard.

At a hearing at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court, on 16 June, 2010, East Ayrshire Council pled guilty to a charge under section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and were fined £56,000 the following day.

Two Gloucestershire companies have been fined after a roofing contractor fell through a skylight and suffered serious head injuries.

Woodgate Sawmills Limited, and Stanley John Frederick Stephens of The Longhope Welding Company (a partnership) were prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after Robert Stephens fell through a fragile skylight while working on the roof of a sawmill building at Mile End, Coleford, Gloucestershire.

Buy-to-let landlords have been warned not to disguise their profits from the taxman after selling their properties.

Accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young says tax officials are increasingly trawling through Land Registry records to check the accuracy of tax returns.

If a property is not a seller's main residence then capital gains tax (CGT) may be payable on the profit.

Hacker Young said special investigators were raising £10,800 for each special enquiry, up by 79% in two years.