Burst pipe disrupts debut of new Alton Towers ride

The burst pipe led to a large amount of liquid spreading across the entrance to the Toxicator ride, which was evacuated as a result

Alton Towers' new ride Toxicator had to shut on its opening day when a pipe burst and brown liquid leaked out.

Park staff were inundated by frustrated riders, who took to social media about the problem at the Staffordshire park, on Saturday. One man said afterwards it was a "nightmare day" which left his son "so disappointed".

The theme park said rides were suspended for about two hours after the pipe burst, which bosses said was "unrelated to the new ride".

"Due to an unexpected burst pipe near the ride, Toxicator briefly paused operation whilst our teams swiftly dealt with the issue," a spokesperson said.

The ride and surrounding area were later "fully reopen and welcoming guests," the Alton Towers spokesperson added.

Ben Keable, from Cheslyn Hay, Staffordshire, said he had been "queueing for about 70 minutes" with his son and were about one or two cycles away from getting on the new ride when it closed.

"We were standing under the ride waiting when a steady trickle of water started flowing by our feet," he said.

"We thought it was water from the ride above as water was dripping from the fountains on the ride.

"The steady flow became more of a puddle around our feet. There was an announcement that the ride was suffering a problem."

He said they were told to leave the ride "with no offer to come back with a fast pass given we had waited 70 minutes".

"This was just a small part of a nightmare day at the park. My son was so disappointed," Mr Keable added.

He said a number of rides were closed throughout the day, so they only managed five rides in 10 hours due to long queues.

Mathew Lancaster, from Southport, Merseyside, was also visiting the attraction when the pipe burst.

"I'm an avid theme park goer and it was very unfortunate what happened," he said.

"That definitely wasn't on the bucket list."

The topspin ride can accommodate more than 500 riders an hour, who are seated back-to-back before being flipped round and held face down above a "bubbling pool of highly toxic alien acid", according to the theme park's website.

Standing 78ft high, it is the only topspin ride in the world to be elevated above ground level, it states.