EDINBURGH City Council has been fined £8000 after a school pupil suffered serious injuries after falling through a gap in a lift shaft.

Morgan Seaton, 15, suffered three fractured vertebrae, bruising and a sprained wrist when she dropped more than five metres to the bottom of the shaft after she and three other pupils became stuck in a lift at Liberton High School.

The local authority pleaded guilty to a breach of Health and Safety at Work Regulations at Edinburgh Sheriff Court after the incident in December 2011.

The court heard that the well-intentioned efforts of staff resulted in the fall and they had not received instruction, training and supervision in what to do if someone was trapped in a lift. The school also failed to make a suitable assessment of the risks to pupils using the lift. Ms Seaton suffered pain in her back when sitting for long periods and this caused her difficulty when studying for her Standards.