FLAMINGO Land theme park, near Malton, was fined £2,000 after its head gardener was seriously hurt falling from a ride.

The company pleaded guilty at Pickering magistrates court to failing to ensure the safety of its employees.

Colin Braham was hurt last July as he was leaning out of a vehicle on the park's monorail in order to prune back trees.

Ian Copland, prosecuting for the Health and Safety Executive, said neither Mr Braham nor the ride operator were wearing safety harnesses.

The gardener fell about three metres, hitting his head on a fence on the way.

Mr Copland said: "He sustained serious head injuries in hitting the fence, and I understand that he lost most of his teeth and injured his knee.

"He is still not back at work and is currently awaiting another operation on his knee."

Mr Copland accepted a safety harness had been supplied, but he said it was so long that had it been used, Mr Braham may still have hit the ground.

He said: "In any safe system there should be some form of monitoring, it's a fact of life that people will take short cuts."

Richard Manning, mitigating, said his clients were very sorry about what he stressed was an isolated incident.

He said: "There is an open door policy at Flamingo Land as far as health and safety is concerned in encouraging and welcoming HSE officers on to the site."

Senior magistrate Richard Pacey said there had been a lack of monitoring of health and safety issues. But he accepted management could not watch their employees at all times, and that no member of the public was ever at risk.

Flamingo Land Ltd was also ordered to pay £1,107 costs.

Updated: 11:26 Saturday, March 23, 2002