MERCATOR GOLD AUSTRALIA UPDATE

MERCATOR GOLD AUSTRALIA UPDATE

ECR Minerals plc

ECR MINERALS plc

(“ECR Minerals”, “ECR” or the “Company”)

AIM: ECR

US OTC: MTGDY

MERCATOR GOLD AUSTRALIA UPDATE

LONDON: 8 AUGUST 2013

ECR Minerals plc is pleased to announce that it has been informed by the external administrators (the “Administrators”) of the Company’s 100% owned Australian subsidiary Mercator Gold Australia Pty Ltd (“MGA”) as follows.

• The Administrators are preparing a report to creditors of MGA and when the report is available intend to convene a meeting of creditors in order to seek approval for the complete effectuation of the Deed of Company Administration (the “DOCA”) to which MGA is currently subject; this would occur following the assignment to Main Roads Western Australia (“MRWA”) of an insurance claim (the “Claim”) made under a public liability insurance policy held by MGA
• The Claim relates to road deviation costs associated with mining activities carried out by MGA in 2008, and it is already the case that if successful the proceeds of the Claim will be for the benefit of MRWA and not MGA
• Complete effectuation of the DOCA may involve a small final dividend being paid to unsecured creditors of MGA, with the exception of ECR
• The report of the Administrators to creditors is expected to be available this month, and the assignment of the Claim and the complete effectuation of the DOCA are expected to occur by early November 2013; at that point MGA will be considered to have been completely released from administration

Stephen Clayson, Chief Executive Officer of ECR, commented:

“We are encouraged to have been given a timetable for the release of MGA from administration, where it has been since 2008. When this occurs it will enable various business initiatives to be pursued in light of MGA’s tax losses, which are estimated to total approximately A$77 million.”

ABOUT ECR MINERALS PLC

ECR is a mineral development company with, among other interests, the right to earn a 50% interest in the Itogon gold-silver project in the Philippines. The Itogon project is an advanced exploration project located in a gold and copper mining district on the island of Luzon in the north of the Philippines, and benefits from an extensive historical dataset.

The Company also has 100% ownership of the Sierra de las Minas gold project in La Rioja Province, Argentina; and a substantial minority stake in THEMAC Resources Group Ltd (TSX-V: MAC), which is focused on the development of the Copper Flat copper-molybdenum-gold-silver porphyry project in New Mexico, USA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

ECR Minerals plc		Tel: [phone]
Paul Johnson, Non-Executive Chairman
Stephen Clayson, Director & Chief Executive Officer
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.ecrminerals.com
Daniel Stewart & Company plc		Tel: [phone]
David Hart/Antony Legge

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This announcement may include forward looking statements. Such statements may be subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and therefore actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Any forward looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date hereof (unless stated otherwise) and, except as may be required by applicable laws or regulations (including the AIM Rules for Companies), the Company disclaims any obligation to update or modify such forward looking statements as a result of new information, future events or for any other reason.