Alton Towers Smiler ride: 'Safety top priority'

Management at Alton Towers have promised that safety is their top priority as the Staffordshire theme park reopens for the new season.

The Smiler ride is due to take passengers for the first time since its closure last June following a crash.

Two women had to have a leg amputated and three others were seriously injured after a carriage crashed into another car.

Terry Dunn, technical services director at Alton Towers, said they were putting eight hours of work into every rollercoaster before they open the ride each day.

The Health and Safety Executive is prosecuting Merlin over the crash and the company is due in court in April.