CAR giant Honda have been fined £10,000 over an accident in which a worker lost two fingers.

The Civic manufacturer was hit with its first prosecution over an incident in February last year where employee Cesar Santos lost the index finger and most of the middle finger on his right hand while working to repair some machinery.

Swindon Magistrates' Court heard today that while Mr Santos was wearing a glove on the injured hand, against protocol, the Health and Safety Executive had found there had been failure by the firm to provide a safe system of work and to assess the dangers involved in the work he was asked to carry out.

A spokesman for Honda said: "On 11 February 2012 Mr Cesar Santos, a die maintenance associate working in the Press and Stamping Department at Honda of the UK Manufacturing Ltd (HUM), was injured while polishing a metal locating pin on a lathe using emery cloth.

"An internal investigation found that the activity was not being performed in line with our current health and safety policies and procedures, however HUM recognised improvements could be made in our internal controls and therefore HUM has accepted responsibility and has fully co-operated with HSE inspectors throughout the investigation.

"HUM takes health and safety extremely seriously and continually strives to maintain a safe working environment to support its policy of ‘there can be no production without safety’.

"Honda sincerely regrets the injuries which Mr Santos has suffered."