THE family of a Southampton man who died when he fell into a vat of paint at the city's Ford motor factory has vowed to pursue manslaughter charges against his bosses.

Elaine Shute gasped and broke down in tears yesterday when a jury of six men and three women took two and a half hours to return a verdict of unlawful killing at an inquest into the death of her son Christopher.

The 30-year-old technician, of Winchester Road, Shirley, died on August 17, 2000, of asphyxiation when he fell through a gap, which should have been covered by a lid, into a tank of hot paint he was cleaning at Swaythling's Ford Transit plant.

Mr Shute's managers Peter Preston, 51, from Blackburn and Paul Mckenzie from Hartford, Cheshire, had previously been fined £5,000 each after pleading guilty to failing to ensure the safety of their employee. The pair's employers Philip Services (Europe) Limited escaped prosecution after dissolving their European subsidiary.

A statement, from Mr Shute's family read out by their solicitor Keith Barrett after the inquest at Southampton's Coroner's Court, thanked the jury.

He said: "We have maintained from the beginning that Christopher was unlawfully killed.

"We will press for the charges of gross negligence manslaughter to be re-opened against Mr Preston and Mr McKenzie.

"Christopher would still be here today if his employers had complied with their legal obligations to ensure that his system and place of work were safe.

"Instead Christopher was taken away from us in the prime of his life."

Earlier Mr Shute's parents Elaine and Derek, sister Anne and brother-in-law Peter Gundry had heard a statement from cleaner Adriano Fiori where he described the moment he tried to rescue Mr Shute with a broom handle.

He said: "I saw a male appear from the liquid and rest his arms on the side. There was paint coming from his nose and mouth. I saw the man reach out to grab the handle. He touched it but did not hang on."

Earlier the inquest heard how Patrick Finlay had fallen into the EPOC paint vat just days before Mr Shute, but survived.

Summing up, Southampton coroner Keith Wiseman said Ford were not to blame but criticised Mr McKenzie and Mr Preston.

He said: "At least one of them should have given full consideration to such a significant event.

"They treated it as not relevant to their day-to-day working operations. They both regarded the matter as having been sorted. Neither ever saw the wider picture from day one."

After the inquest a Ford spokesman Oliver Rowe revealed that new safety procedures including handrails and a locked gateway restricting access to the top of the tank have been implemented since the accident.

He said: "The Swaythling plant's safety record is one of the best among Ford's plants globally.

"The company would like to re-state its sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr Shute."