http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/al ... in-6149349
(Yet another!) New article with the usual content but these particular parts stand out as being partially new information:
"Trade at Merlin’s Thorpe Park resort in Surrey had also been hit, the company has said.
"It temporarily shut Thorpe Park’s Saw roller coaster and the Dragon’s Fury and Rattlesnake rides at nearby Chessington World of Adventures amid safety fears.
Merlin also suspended a marketing drive for its sites, further denting demand."
"Mr Varney insisted that it hoped to reopen The Smiler ride at same stage.
He told the Mirror: “Our aspiration would be but we’re not going to do it unless it is the right thing to do.”
But he revealed: “It won’t be opening this summer, that’s for sure.”
He also pledged to be the first person to ride The Smiler if it got the safety check go-ahead.
“I will definitely be on that ride and if it is important that I am the first person, then I will be as well,” he said.
Mr Varney said that he had not considered resigning over the incident.
But he added: “I can’t deny the whole incident has been a shock to me because I have been in this business for a long time.”
He went on: “The accident should never have happened but we have tried to do the right thing by the victims by accepting responsibility and we continue to support them however we can.
“I still look at myself in the mirror and think, I wouldn’t have done this any other way.”"