Alton Towers to reopen in wake of Smiler crash that left four people seriously injured

The theme park has been closed for almost a week

The Smiler ride at Alton Towers Resort in Staffordshire, which is to re-open "within the next few days" but the ride involved in the crash in which 16 people were injured will remain shut for the foreseeable future, the company which runs the park has ann (Fabio De Paola/PA Wire)

Alton Towers will reopen on Monday morning, almost a week after a crash that saw four people seriously injured.

The announcement from Merlin Entertainment came after it emerged that Victoria Balch, a student who suffered "life changing" injuries in incident, has undergone further surgery to her legs.

The crash occurred when two carriages on the Smiler rollercoaster collided at the theme park in Staffordshire on Tuesday afternoon.

In a statement announcing the reopening of the park for 10am on Monday, Merlin CEO Nick Varney said that the management was "committed to ensuring that the public can again visit us with confidence".

He said: "The accident last Tuesday was a terrible event for everyone involved. We are very aware of the impact it will have on those involved and we are doing all we can to provide our support to those injured and their families.

"We closed the Park immediately whilst preliminary investigations took place and to give our staff time to come to terms with the accident and its aftermath. In recent days our management team have been engaged in a thorough review of our operating and safety procedures before making this decision."

The Smiler ride itself has been closed off and partially dismantled as part of an investigation by the Government's Health and Safety Executive, and will not reopen on Monday morning.