Friends and relatives of two men killed when a crane collapsed have spoken of their anger after learning that noone will be prosecuted for their deaths.

They gathered at a memorial garden in Thessaly Road Battersea, last Tuesday to mark the fifth anniversary of the disaster and to remember crane driver Jonathan Cloke, 37, and 23-year-old Michael Alexa, who were killed when a crane came crashing down at a Barratt Homes site in the road.

The Battersea Crane Disaster Action Group (BCDAG), which has successfully campaigned for improvements in crane regulation, said it was "stunned" that the CPS, after a five year investigation, has decided not to prosecute the company that owned the crane, Falcon Cranes.

Mr Alexa's mother, Liliana said: "For the last five years we have been waiting for the investigation to be concluded and for those responsible to be brought to justice.

After all this time we are now left high and dry by the CPS. I do not understand why they believe there is no chance of a conviction. My son was simply fixing his car and now he is no longer with us.

"If he had been killed by a dangerous driver they would have prosecuted years ago. We know this decision is wrong and we will not rest until we achieve justice."

A spokeswoman for BCDAG added: "Two young men lost their lives and someone at Falcon Cranes must be responsible. All twenty five bolts on the crane had to be replaced only weeks before the collapse, yet nobody from the company thought to ask why."

Mr Alexa, whose son was just 18 months old at the time, was crushed to death while working on his car nearby. Mr Cloke, a crane operator from Guildford, was inside the crane of the cab when it collapsed.

A CPS spokeswoman confirmed an investigation by the Metropolitan Police and the Health and Safety Executive was carried out, and said the CPS looked into whether there "was sufficient evidence for a prosecution for manslaughter by gross negligence".

She said: "To do this, we have to prove, among other things, that a controlling mind of a company (an individual) personally owes a duty of care in law to the deceased.

"It must be that particular duty of care that is breached by gross negligence and that particular breach must be the cause of death.

"We determined that there was insufficient evidence to prove these elements which were required for a prosecution.

"This decision does not preclude prosecution for health and safety offences by the Health and Safety Executive.

"We have written to the families of Mr Alexa and Mr Cloke and have made arrangements to meet them to explain our decision."

An HSE spokeswoman added: "The investigation is ongoing and any enforcement decisions will not be made until the investigation is concluded."

No one from Falcon Cranes was available for comment.