Jonathan Collins, 34, from Watton and Neil Moon, 49, from Spalding, suffocated following a build-up of nitrogen in a narrow passageway at Banham Poultry in Attleborough in October 2018.

The unsecured ducting having slipped down the sloping roof and dropping off the edge (Image: Norfolk Constabulary)

Following an extensive investigation, Banham Poultry Limited, which went into administration in October 2018, admitted two counts of failing to discharge a duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

At the end of a three-day sentencing hearing on Thursday at Norwich Crown Court Banham Poultry Ltd, and Air Products PLC were fined £900 and £2,475,000 respectively.

The families have now described how they suffer "heartbreak beyond words" and think of them and miss them every day.

Mr Moon, a father of three, married his partner of nearly 15 years just 10 months before he died.

Neil Moon (Image: Norfolk Constabulary)

The couple were expecting a baby and their son was born six months after his death and was named Neil after his “amazing daddy.”

His wife Gillian described her husband as a "calm, easy-going person who had a way of lifting the mood of everyone around him."

Mr Collins, a father of three children aged one, four, and six at the time, was described by his fiancé Sara as “a friend to all and an enemy to none.”

Jonathan Collins (Image: Norfolk Constabulary)

She described the huge life-changing impact of Jon’s death on the whole family adding: “The events of that day and how this case has unfolded will live with my family forever.”

In a statement on behalf of both of the families, they said: "Today, our two families stand united in grief as we remember Jonathan Collins and Neil Moon, two young men who simply went to work and never came home.

"They were loved partners, dads, sons, brothers, friends, and colleagues, and their loss has left a permanent void in all our lives.

"The past seven and a half years have been filled with heartbreak, fear, and unanswered questions.

"That journey has led us to this point.

"At the beginning of what was expected to be a six‑week trial, Banham Poultry and Air Products admitted to serious health and safety offences that resulted in the deaths of Jonathan and Neil.

"Following today’s sentencing, we must say honestly that we do not feel justice has been served.

"For us, true justice would be Jonathan and Neil still being alive.

"Nothing can change what has happened, but if anything positive can come from this tragedy."

On the day they died, the two men entered the narrow passageway alongside the factory wall, and a gas exhaust pipe had unknowingly fallen from the roof of the factory into the passageway killing both workers.

Ducting that had slipped from the roof and spooled on the ground within the passagewa (Image: Norfolk Constabulary)

Having displaced the oxygen, both men were killed, likely in seconds, by a gas they had no warning about and could not see or smell.

They were both last seen alive on CCTV at around 11.40am inside one of the buildings.

Their bodies were found at around 1am the following day after their families raised the alarm.

The release of nitrogen gas led to condensation and subsequent ice formation within t (Image: Norfolk Constabulary)

During the two-day hearing, the court heard in relation to the risks presented and how the gas was supposed to be controlled safely, risks were not properly considered, with no checks or monitoring being carried out.

Det Supt Stuart Chapman, the senior investigating officer, said: “Jonathan and Neil went to work that day and should have returned home.

“I want to express my sincere gratitude to the families for their unwavering support throughout this lengthy process."

© Eastern Daily Press