A CRANE company has been found guilty of corporate manslaughter after a 49-year-old man was killed while driving a crane at a quarry near Ramsbottom.

Lindsay Easton was killed while driving on a steep access road at Scout Moor quarry in Edenfield, when the brake system failed.

The eight-axle, 130-tonne crane crane lost control and crashed into an earth bank, crushing Mr Easton who died after suffering multiple injuries.

Baldwins Crane Hire Limited was found guilty of corporate manslaughter, failing to ensure the safety of its employees and failing to ensure the safety of other persons at Preston Crown Court on Monday.

The firm will be sentenced on December 22.

Investigators from Lancashire Police and the Health and Safety Executive, who launched a probe following the incident on August 15, 2011, found that several of the wheel brakes were inoperable, worn and contaminated.

The braking systems were also found to provide only limited braking force, either being disabled or damaged.

Officers also found that there was "significant failings" at the firm, with a lack of supervision and recording of work by senior management at the company.

The court was told that the crane was not Mr Easton’s usual vehicle, having replaced another operator when he took over the site operation.

In a statement, Mr Easton’s family, from West Yorkshire, said: “We hope that this case has highlighted the need for regular and supervised maintenance of heavy cranes and that lessons can be learned by those in the crane industry.

“This is so that nobody else loses a loved one in the tragic and avoidable circumstances in which we did.”

The quarry is part of the Scout Moor wind farm site, the largest inshore site in the country, which is operated by Peel Energy.

Det Insp Jim Elston, of Lancashire Police, said: “This tragedy was entirely avoidable had the company acted responsibly and ensured their crane fleet was effectively serviced and maintained.

“It has been shown from all the evidence that the state of the brakes on the crane were in a shocking condition and sadly it was an accident waiting to happen.

“In a tragic irony the crane in question was not even Mr Easton’s usual crane.

“The company have shown a complete disregard for the safety of their employees and other road users in failing to prioritise the servicing of the braking systems on their vehicles.

“It is clear from the evidence that this was systemic and not confined to the one crane involved in this accident.

“I can only conclude the company and its chairman Richard Baldwin overlooked necessary inspections and the expenditure needed on repairs and parts in the pursuit of making profit for the company.

“Tragically the gross failings of the company management have led to the death of an experienced crane driver doing his job and caused enduring heartache for his family. I hope these verdicts bring some closure for the family after such a long wait for justice to be done.”

A spokesman for Baldwins Crane Hire Limited declined to comment.