THE boss of a water park has claimed 23-year-old David Briffaut "did not follow the guidelines" while on the waterslide.

Mr Briffaut, 23, was holidaying with his girlfriend Penny Bristow, 22, to celebrate her graduation when the accident happened at Aqualandia, in Benidorm, on July 8.

Aqualandia spokesman Maria Jose Marcos said: "First of all, I would like to clarify that, for various reasons, Aqualandia is not responsible for the accident which occurred on July 8.

"The ride Splash is completely safe, as are the rest of slides of the park. Each season, before opening the park, an external company specialised in water parks makes an exhaustive review of all the slides.

"Beyond this, our staff check them every morning.

"Moreover, we have video footage which plainly shows how the 23-year old man did not follow the guidelines for Splash. Our lifeguard team informed him of the rules of the ride and he didn't obey them.

"So, Aqualandia cannot be held for the consequences of visitors failing to follow safety rules. Of course, Aqualandia helped him and his friends in every way and our insurance covered all the medical attention."

He added: "Aqualandia has a long history - 34 years - and safety is our top priority. Our rules and recommendations are clearly displayed all the park and must be adhered to by our visitors.

"We work hard to maintain our good reputation and we will take appropriate judicial action should

that become necessary.

"All the Aqualandia staff are very sad about happened that day but, as we have already said, the park is not responsible for the accident."

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "Our consular staff are assisting the family of a British man hospitalised in Alicante, including by providing details of local lawyers, visiting the family at the hospital and liaising with the local authorities."