THE Poole-based leisure giant Merlin Entertainments has seen earnings rise despite worldwide security fears and the effect of the Alton Towers rollercoaster crash.

Visitor numbers at Alton Towers are still down following last year’s accident, which saw two women lose legs and left three other people seriously injured.

But Legoland Parks saw revenue grow by 11.1 per cent.

Merlin – whose other brands include Madame Tussauds and Sea Life Centres – saw revenue rise 5.3 per cent to £573million year-on-year in the first half of 2016.

The figure was boosted by new accommodation and attractions and the effect of exchange rates, with like-for-like revenue declining by 1.1 per cent. Pre-tax profit rose by 0.9 per cent to £50m.

Chief executive officer Nick Varney said the company’s performance had been “resilient”.

“Our Midway Attractions operating group has continued to see a challenging market in London, and Alton Towers, whilst seeing some recovery in mainstream leisure visitation, continues to experience significantly lower overall volumes,” he said.

Legoland parks had built on their strong performance, he added.

“However, 2016 has also brought some new challenges. Heightened security concerns, following attacks across Europe, have had an effect on city centre tourism, creating a challenging market and compounding an already difficult market in London,” he said.

Mr Varney added: “Despite this difficult current trading environment, we remain confident about the medium and long-term prospects for Merlin in both our existing estate and around our 2020 milestones.”

The business, based in Market Close, had a strong “product pipeline” and expected a continued recovery among its resort parks.

There was a further potential boost from the three Lego movies expected over the next three years, he said.

“In addition, if the current weakness in sterling persists over the medium term, it should provide support to the UK tourism market from domestic and international visitors, benefiting our attractions in London and across the UK” he added.

With 70 per cent of Merlin’s profits generated outside the UK, the full-year results should benefit further from the weakness of the pound, he said.

Highlights of the year so far included the opening of a Legoland Discovery Centre in Shanghai – the first Legoland-branded attraction in China.

Stephen Wolstenhulme, manager of investment management and stockbroking firm Redmayne-Bentley’s branch in Ashley Cross, Poole, said: “This is a relatively positive set of results, during an exciting time for Merlin Entertainments.

“The fallout from last month’s vote to leave the European Union has created uncertainty but the current weakness in the pound could well be to the company’s advantage, with its attractions in London and the rest of the UK potentially becoming more attractive to tourists from both the UK and overseas.”