A MAN has pleaded guilty to a health and safety failing which led to one of his employees dying after becoming trapped under a bus at Chester Zoo.

Brian Finch, who ran F E Finch Coaches in Ince, Wigan, at the time of the incident in 2017, appeared at Chester Magistrates Court on Monday, October 14.

He admitted the sole count of failing as an employer to discharge general health, safety and welfare duty to an employee.

It was around lunchtime on Wednesday, June 14, 2017, when 46-year-old father-of-three Wayne Lannon, of Beech Hill, Wigan, had gone out in a replacement bus to the car park of Chester Zoo to where the broken down bus was.

The court heard the double-decker bus he was working on rolled on top of him.

Police, fire and ambulance services attended but Mr Lannon was pronounced dead at the scene.

Finch stood accused of failing to provide Mr Lannon, who had to attend bus breakdowns, with the information, instruction, training and supervision required to achieve the minimum safe systems of work.

Mr Lannon's family were in Chester Magistrates Court to hear Finch, 78, of Arbour Lane, Standish, Wigan, plead guilty at the first opportunity to the offence.

District Judge Nicholas Sanders, presiding, informed those present the case would be adjourned until next month for a hearing to determine whether both prosecution and defence agreed on the facts of the case, and if so, whether the subsequent sentencing hearing would be at a magistrates court or a crown court.

If the facts of the case were disputed enough to make a material difference to Finch's sentence, the district judge said there would potentially be a Newton hearing.

Finch was unconditionally bailed until his next court appearance.