Alton Towers crash: "human error"

Following an investigation on the Smiler ride, a spokesperson said: "A ride shut down message was misunderstood by staff at the ride. This led to a decision to manually restart the ride, over-riding the control system without appropriate safety protocols being followed correctly."

Although the roller coaster is due to re-open in 2016, Alton Towers states that it will feature an additional level of authorisation so no manual over-rides can occur without a senior member of staff present.