THE owners of Sandford Caravan Park have pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety laws after a visitor broke his leg while staying at the park.

Weststar Holidays Ltd admitted contravening the Health and Safety at Work Act after a holidaymaker fell off a verandah attached to the chalet he was staying in.

The verandah was three feet off the ground and did not have a hand or guard rail around it.

It was later revealed that the chalet should not have been used as accommodation but had been let out as the holiday park on Organford Road was overbooked.

Visitor Glenn White, a self-employed instructor on heavy goods vehicles, from Southampton, was off work for several weeks following the injury.

Purbeck District Council brought the prosecution after Weststar Holidays registered the injury with the national Incident Contact Centre, a database where organisations are legally required to record any accidents or ill health at work.

Weststar Holidays Ltd pleaded guilty to the breaches at Wimborne Magistrates Court and were fined £2,000 and ordered to make a contribution of £450 to the council's costs.

Bill Davidson, head of environmental services at Purbeck District Council, said: "We are delighted with the outcome of this case.

"Failing to maintain good standards of health and safety is something we take extremely seriously, particularly in the case of a tourism business in which visitors place their trust, and money, in return for a safe and pleasant stay."

Sandford Caravan Park is set in 64 acres of woodland and offers both caravan and lodge accommodation for holidaymakers.

A spokesperson for Weststar Holidays Ltd declined to comment on the case.