A huge fine of A$3.6m (€2.1m) has been imposed on Australian theme park Dreamworld’s parent company following failures that led to the death of four people.

The Queensland park is owned by Ardent Leisure and this week the group said that it faced three charges following an assessment by an independent prosecutor from Australia’s Workplace Health and Safety department.

The Brisbane court was examining the evidence into the death of Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, her brother Luke Dorsett and his partner Roozi Araghi, who died in October 2016 when a water pump on the Thunder River Rapids ride malfunctioned.

Ardent Leisure Group apologised and said that its procedures had undergone "considerable change" following the accident. A statement from the company said: “First and foremost, we again express our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of these victims for their loss and ongoing suffering and we want to say sorry to all of the people impacted by this tragedy.”

Coroner James McDougall criticised Dreamworld for its "systemic failure" in all aspect of safety, "shoddy record-keeping" and "frighteningly unsophisticated" systems.

The company had pleaded guilty to three charges. Evidence in court showed that a water level safety sensor should have been installed.