New Alton Towers alert af ter ‘metal clip falls off ride’
ALTON Towers was f orced to close another three of its rides yesterday amid a f resh safety scare after last week’s horrific crash.
The theme park temporarily shut one of i ts white- knuckle rollercoasters after a large metal clip was feared to have dropped off the ride.
Another attraction was shut for a time for ‘technical reasons’, while a third ride aimed at young children remained out of action due to a ‘malfunction’ earlier in the week. The incidents came only days after Alton Towers reopened on Monday following the accident on its Smiler rollercoaster on June 2.
Five people were seriously injured in the collision between a carriage full of people and an empty car, including Leah washington, 17, who lost a leg.
Air – a £12million rollercoaster in a separate area of the park from Smiler – closed yesterday following the discovery of the metal clip minutes after the park opened at 10am.
The debris was found by visitor Ashley Sandle, 28, an apprentice gas engineer, as he queued for the ride – which sees thrillseekers hit speeds of up to 47mph and heights of 80ft.
He said: ‘I found a member of staff and handed it to him and explained where I had found it. His face went deathly white and ran off to his supervisor.
‘A few minutes later, an announcement came out over the tannoy saying Air was shut because of technical difficulties.’
Mr Sandle, from Morden, South London, added: ‘I think Alton Towers should close completely until they check every ride is safe.’ Air was closed four times in total yesterday, while the Runaway Mine Train – which saw six people hospital- ised after a coupling failed in 2006 – was late opening. They were both running normally later in the day.
Meanwhile on wednesday, parents and children were evacuated from the newly opened octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure in the Cbeebies children’s area of the park. It is understood the ride stalled due to a malfunction. Engineers wearing helmets and harnesses were seen helping people leave the ride, which remained closed yesterday.
The incidents came as one of the Smiler casualties, Daniel Thorpe, spoke from his hospital bed to ‘thank everyone for their support’. The 27-year-old from Buxton, Derbyshire, is said to be ‘recovering well’ from leg and chest injuries.
Miss washington, from Barnsley, had her left leg amputated above the knee and suffered a fractured hand in the incident, while her 18-year-old boyfriend Joe Pugh, 20-year-old Vicky Balch, and chandaben chauhan, 49, were also seriously injured.
Alton Towers yesterday confirmed Air and the Runaway Mine Train were temporarily closed for ‘technical issues’.
A spokesman said: ‘Alton Towers puts the health and safety of guests at the forefront of everything it does, which means that from time to time rides will be closed to allow for technical issues to be reviewed. It is natural that given the current circumstances, our guests (and the media) are more focused on any minor delay or technical stoppage.
‘But all the rides undergo comprehensive pre-opening checks and any delays we are experiencing now are within our expected level. All issues will be dealt with according to our stringent processes and rides will reopen as appropriate.’
They added that the Smiler, oblivion and Enterprise rides remain closed, while the Sonic Spinball had also been shut down so ‘additional safety measures’ could be introduced.
‘I think they should close completely’