'Very large fine' warning as Alton Towers indicates Smiler crash guilty plea

Alton Towers operator Merlin has indicated a guilty plea to a charge of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act over the Smiler rollercoaster crash in June last year which left five people seriously injured.

Merlin Attractions Operations Ltd had previously accepted responsibility for the crash after carrying out its own internal investigation following the incident, which resulted in two women having legs amputated after their carriage collided with a stationary carriage on the same track.

The guilty plea indication came as the case was being heard at North Staffordshire Justice Centre in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

District Judge Jack McGarva warned that the company "may be ordered to pay a very large fine".