Poll: Have you been put off theme park rides by the Alton Towers Smiler accident?
The boss of Alton Towers owner Merlin has said the theme park could take 18 months to recover as the group warned of a £50 million profits hit following a major rollercoaster accident.
Five people were seriously injured after the crash last month on the Smiler ride which resulted in the park being shut down for four days.
Merlin also suspended UK theme park marketing and temporarily closed rides at two other sites.
The group said it had "an adverse impact on trading at the start of the critical summer period" as it marked down earnings expectations from its theme parks division for this year to £40 million to £50 million, from £87 million in 2014.
A £40 million result would represent a £50 million shortfall on the £90 million-plus figure that the City would have been expecting for this year.
Merlin added that the there may also be "some continued adverse impact" on its theme parks' profits into 2016. Shares dived by as much as 9% in early trading but later pared back some of their losses.
Chief executive Nick Varney declined to spell out the precise impact of the crash on visitor numbers at Alton Towers but said there had been "a substantial reduction in what the park was doing prior to the accident", plus a lesser hit to Thorpe Park.
Mr Varney said Merlin was "deeply sorry" over the crash, which he described as a "devastating event" and would continue to do what it could to support those who were injured and their families.
He said shutting down the park and suspending rides at other sites had been "the right course of action reflecting the seriousness of the incident". New safety procedures had been implemented where necessary.
