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Thorpe Park has been forced to close its much-hyped new rollercoaster Hyperia due to “unforeseen circumstances” – just a day after it opened to the public.
Hyperia is billed as the tallest and fastest theme park ride in Britain, exceeding speeds of 80mph and ascending to heights of 72 metres over nearly a kilometre of track.
But just a day after it opened on Friday, the Surrey theme park was forced to announce the following day that it was unable to open the ride “ue to unforeseen circumstances”.
Apologising to customers “for the disappointment this will cause”, a statement issued by Thorpe Park on Saturday said: “We are working hard to reopen Hyperia as soon as possible and will keep people updated via our website and social media.”
But in a further statement on Tuesday, officials at the park in Chertsey said Hyperia may have to remain closed for as long as a fortnight.
“Despite our best efforts we are unable to commit to reopening Hyperia before Saturday 8th June,” the statement said.
“We will continue to do everything in our power to open the ride earlier and will ensure all the latest updates are provided via our socials and website. We are really sorry for the disappointment we know this will cause.”
Responding to a social media user’s claim it had opened the new ride too early, a spokesperson replied: “Absolutely not, we’d never compromise safety. As with any new ride, we have weeks of rigorous safety checks before the ride opens to the public. We’re working to get Hyperia back into full flight soon.”
It was reported on Friday that the Thorpe Park app was warning visitors to brace for five-hour waits as the ride opened, with crowds starting to queue at dawn for a chance to experience the new rollercoaster.
Those who visited Thorpe Park on Saturday are entitled to a free return visit, while those who have pre-booked a visit for up to and including 7 June can change their booking online.
The opening of Hyperia meant the ride had – briefly – replaced the Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach as the UK’s tallest rollercoaster, which sits at a height of just over 70m.
Source: independent.co.uk
