Two companies have appeared in court charged with the deaths of two men at a Norfolk chicken factory.

Pest control subcontractors Jonathan Collins, 34, from Watton, and Neil Moon, 49, from Spalding, had been working at Banham Poultry factory in Attleborough.  

They were found dead during the early hours of October 4, 2018.

Banham Poultry Limited, which went into administration in October 2018, is being prosecuted for two counts of corporate manslaughter and two health and safety violations.

Air Products PLC is being prosecuted for two counts of corporate manslaughter and one count of failing to discharge health and safety duties.

READ MORE: Two companies charged after deaths at Banham Poultry factory

Representatives from both companies appeared at Norwich Magistrates’ Court for a first hearing.

Magistrates were told corporate manslaughter charges could only be heard at crown court.

They declined jurisdiction on all charges and committed the cases to be heard at Norwich Crown Court with a preliminary hearing on August 4.

The prosecution follows investigations by detectives from the Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team, working alongside the Health and Safety Executive.

READ MORE: Review into Banham Poultry deaths reveal tragic details

An inquest has previously heard both men were discovered with frozen hands and faces in a narrow space between an exterior wall of the factory and the wall of the railway station.