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UK's Merlin pleads guilty over rollercoaster crash

Reuters - UK Focus

LONDON, April 22 (Reuters) - Britain's Merlin Entertainments (LSE: MERL.L - news) has pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety laws in relation to a rollercoaster crash at its Alton Towers theme park that seriously injured five people last year.

The Health & Safety Executive prosecuted Merlin over the crash on "The Smiler" ride last June and at a hearing on Friday at North Staffordshire Justice Centre in Newcastle-Under-Lyme, central England, Merlin admitted to the breach.

Merlin, the world's second-biggest visitor attractions group behind Walt Disney, faces a fine when it is sentenced at a later date.

In November, Merlin's own investigation found the crash was caused by human error.

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"From the outset, the company has accepted responsibility for what happened in June last year and it has cooperated fully with the Health & Safety Executive in its investigation," Merlin said on Friday.

Shares (Berlin: DI6.BE - news) in Merlin were down 0.6 percent at 444.2 pence at 0951 GMT, valuing the business at about 4.5 billion pounds ($6.45 billion). ($1 = 0.6973 pounds) (Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Keith Weir)