Alton Towers has announced that between 60 and 70 jobs are to go as the theme park continues to suffer from the fallout of the Smiler crash.
The resort said it is looking to make “efficiencies” and that after a “detailed review of operations” it expects to make the redundancies ahead of the 2017 season. The theme park said the cuts will be made at all levels of permanent salaried employees.
The latest round of redundancies comes after Alton Towers cut 98 jobs earlier this year. The resort employs almost 800 permanent staff and an additional 1,500 seasonal workers between March and November.
A spokesperson said: “Alton Towers will work closely with all those affected in order to support them through the consultation process and any subsequent requirement for alternative employment and job search activities.
“This was an incredibly difficult proposal to make and it has not been taken lightly. However, we are committed to the long term development of the resort and believe that this action now, together with a continuous programme of investment, will ensure its future growth, which is so vital to the local economy.”
In September this year the company was fined £5million (US$6.5m, €5.7m) for breaching health and safety regulations in relation to the Smiler crash. The crash, which happened in June 2015, left five visitors with life-changing injuries including two leg amputations.
Merlin, which operates Alton Towers, said in a financial statement in September that trading over the 2016 summer at the resort had started to recover but “absolute visitor volumes still remain some way below the 2014 level”.
