Alton Towers crash: Employee operating Smiler ride 'sacked' after bosses say accident was due to 'human error'

Five people were seriously injured when two carriages collided in the rollercoaster crash in June

The Smiler ride has been closed since the accident (PA)

An operator of a ride at Alton Towers which crashed and seriously injured five people has reportedly been sacked.

Two women had to have their legs amputated and three others were seriously injured on the Smiler ride in June when their carriage collided with another which had come to a halt on the track.

An internal investigation by theme park operator Merlin Entertainments concluded the accident was caused by “human error”.

And according to the Sunday People, the employee - believed to be a woman in her late teens to early 20s - was allowed to remain working at the company while the investigation was underway but has now been dismissed.

It comes as the company announced the Smiler would reopen next year after putting in place a series of safety changes “to ensure that an incident of this nature can never happen again".

In a statement, Merlin Entertainments said: “The investigation concluded that the incident was the result of human error culminating in the manual override of the ride safety control system, without the appropriate protocols being followed.

“The investigation also identified areas where protocols and the training of employees should be improved. There were found to be no technical or mechanical problems with the ride itself.”

The accident has been estimated to have cost the company £47m.