An elderly woman was injured when a perimeter fence used in the redevelopment of Debenhams in Oxford blew over on top of her.

CH Pearce Construction, based in Bristol, was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay £854 costs after pleading guilty to breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act at Oxford Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Karen Ticehurst, prosecuting, said that Gwen Gibson, 79, was walking along Magdalen Street in Oxford on May 4 last year to catch a bus.

As she passed the corner of Friars Entry, a metal site fence panel weighing 35kg blew over on top of her, landing on her legs and knocking her down.

Mrs Gibson, from Oxfordshire, suffered a broken hip which required a hip replacement operation, leaving her immobile for several weeks.

Ms Ticehurst said that CH Pearce Construction had not properly secured the fencing with ballast and clips and that a moderate breeze was sufficient to blow it over.

Helen Walker, defending, said that the company had done "almost everything possible to prevent an accident from happening".

The fence blew over because site workers failed to take into account the wind tunnel effect in Friars Entry and because the company had used a solid panel fence, instead of a wire mesh one, to prevent sand from blowing out of the site.

Jill Brookes, chairman of the magistrates, said: "The systems in place to protect employees and the public at the time were inadequate and resulted in a very serious accident."