'No action' over Lecht ski lift accident which left eight injured

The accident happened in 2013

The operators of a ski chair-lift at the centre of an accident which left eight people injured will not face prosecution.

The incident happened at the Lecht Ski Centre, at Corgarff in Aberdeenshire, in February last year.

Some skiers fell about 20ft (6m) to the ground and others were left stranded for more than an hour.

The Health and Safety Executive said it did not intend to recommend court action.

A connecting mechanism became damaged causing the chairs to come off the cables.

The HSE said, after an investigation, that the chair-lift had been properly inspected and maintained and the operator had discharged health and safety duties.

Additional safety measures have now been introduced.

A statement said: "Based on current evidence, it is not HSE's intention to recommend further action to the Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service."

James McIntosh, the owner of the Lecht Ski Centre, told BBC Scotland: "We are obviously delighted to have been cleared by the HSE.

"We were concerned about what caused it because it seemed to be a mystery.

"Still none of us know what could have caused it."

Additional safety measure have since been put in place in a bid to prevent it happening again.

The Lecht Ski Centre is on the A939 between Cockbridge and Tomintoul, on the eastern side of the Cairngorms.