A THEME park engineer has been arrested by police investigating a fatal fairground accident.

The man was questioned about the death of Gemma Louise Savage, who suffered serious head and spinal injuries when two cars collided on a newly-opened ride at Lightwater Valley, near Ripon, North Yorkshire.

The 20-year-old Durham University student was airlifted to hospital after the incident on the Treetop Twister attraction last Wednesday, but died from her injuries.

Yesterday, police confirmed that a maintenance worker, in his forties and from the Harrogate area, had been arrested in connection with the accident. He has not been charged.

Detectives are also anxious to speak to two men who could be witnesses to the incident. They were in the car immediately in front of the one carrying Gemma.

Gemma, who had completed her second year reading biomedical sciences at Durham University's Stockton campus, was visiting the theme park with friends before collecting her examination results.

Her family, from Wath-on-Dearne, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, said they had been deprived of their "bright star".