The company in charge of a construction site where a worker was crushed to death by the portable building he was delivering has admitted a safety blunder.

Marc Channon, 31, had taken the cabin to Seymour Civil Engineering's site, in Ryal, Northumberland, on behalf of GH Dowse Ltd on July 23, 2002.

Newcastle Crown Court heard that, while unloading the 24ft unit, it slipped off the hook used to lift it and crushed Mr Channon against his delivery vehicle.

The married father-of-two, of Prince Edward Road, South Shields, was fatally injured.

After the incident, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) brought charges against both GH Dowse Ltd and Seymour Civil Engineering for breaching safety laws.

At Newcastle Crown Court yesterday, Seymour company director Chris Short pleaded guilty to one charge of breaching lifting operations regulations, and two further charges against the firm were dropped.

After the guilty plea, the case was dropped against GH Dowse.

Andrew Findlay, prosecuting on behalf of the HSE, said it should have been clear the cabin was too big to be safely lifted by the equipment.

Mr Channon, a former soldier, had only qualified to operate the lorry he was driving three weeks before his death.

Defence barrister John Evans told the court that Seymour Civil Engineering spends more than £200,000 per year on health and safety and had no previous convictions for any safety breaches.

Judge John Milford will pass sentence today.