Sam Smith achieves UK music charts double

LONDON, March 15 (Reuters) - British singer-songwriter Sam Smith secured a UK music charts double on Sunday, topping both the singles and album chart simultaneously, the Official Charts Company said.

Smith's collaboration with John Legend, "Lay Me Down", in aid of charity Comic Relief, debuted at number one in the singles chart, his fourth chart-topping track in less than two years.

Meanwhile his debut album "In The Lonely Hour" returned to the top of the charts for an eighth week, making it the first album by a male solo artist in charts history to achieve six different spells at number one.

It finished more than 12,000 sales ahead of this week's highest new entry, second-placed "Rebel Heart" by Madonna. Ed Sheeran's "X" was a non-mover in third.

In the singles chart, British electronica trio Years and Years slipped one spot to second place with "King", while Flo Rida featuring Sage the Gemini (CDNX: GKX.V - news) was a new entry at three with "GDFR".

(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Mark Heinrich)