‘Amazing’ rescue crew praised

Here is a timeline of the incident that led to Merlin’s £5m fine:

May 2013 – The Smiler rollercoaster opens at the theme park in Staffordshire and is billed as the world’s first 14-loop rollercoaster.

June 2 2015, 1.51pm – A carriage carrying 16 riders collides with a stationary one on the ride.

June 8 2015 – It is revealed one of the victims – Leah Washington, then aged 17 – had to have her left leg amputated above the knee. Vicky Balch, then 19, also loses a leg in the crash, with several others injured.

September 11 2015 – Victims of the crash praise the efforts of their rescuers at an awards ceremony. Ms Washington said: “The crews have been amazing, they were really caring at the time and also visited me in hospital afterwards which was lovely of them.”

November 24 2015 – Merlin Entertainments says the crash was caused by “human error” and there were “no technical or mechanical problems with the ride itself”.

February 25 2016 – The Health and Safety Executive announces the operator of Alton Towers is to be prosecuted under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

September 27 – The company is fined £5 million for what Judge Michael Chambers QC tells the court was a “catastrophic failure” of its health and safety procedures.