The Big Wheel in Edinburgh was closed after it emerged it was inspected by the same expert who checked the roller coaster at M&D's theme park before it crashed.

M&D's, which operates the attraction in the capital, were told to temporarily close the wheel by the city council after it was contacted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on Wednesday of last week as a precaution.

The move came over safety concerns after it emerged the same expert who passed the Tsunami roller coaster before it derailed and crashed at Strathclyde Country Park in June also inspected the Big Wheel.

It has been closed for eight days while further safety checks and inspections take place.

A spokeswoman for Edinburgh council told STV News these have taken place and the Big Wheel has been given the go-ahead to reopen the 44-metre high Ferris wheel.

She said: "The ride was temporarily closed while precautionary checks were carried out."

An M&D's spokeswoman said: "Following discussions with Edinburgh City Council, we took the decision to temporarily close the attraction to allow for an additional inspection, carried out by a certified independent expert.

"The Edinburgh Festival Wheel passed the inspection and reopened yesterday for visitors to enjoy."

Earlier this month, the HSE confirmed it has taken action against the inspector in question and sent letters to a number of theme parks where he worked, advising them to have their attractions re-inspected if they had been checked by the man in question.

A statement from HSE said: "As part of the ongoing investigation, HSE has taken enforcement action against an independent fairground ride inspector.

"They have been served with a prohibition notice, which prevents them from undertaking any inspection of fairground rides until the condition of the prohibition notice is fulfilled.

"HSE is working with industry bodies to ensure all fairground owners are aware of the prohibition notice. Ride owners directly affected by this individual's work are being contacted through industry bodies to ensure they are able take any appropriate action that is necessary."

Eight children and two adults were taken to hospital after the Tsunami ride derailed and plunged 20ft to the ground at Strathclyde Country Park in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, on Sunday, June 26.

Five gondolas derailed as they were rounding a bend and plunged to the ground, trapping several people and colliding with a children's ride.