Alton Towers log flume boat washes up on Sheffield river bank

The boat had seen better days, owner Mick Foster admitted

A log flume boat that spent most of its life at the Alton Towers theme park has been found washed up on the banks of a Sheffield river.

A walker joked it must have "travelled some distance" in a post online showing the boat next to the River Sheaf.

Owner Mick Foster said he had bought the boat after "a few drinks" and it had been placed in his Sheffield garden about half a mile (800m) upstream.

He is hoping to enlist the help of arm wrestlers to bring the boat home.

In the initial Facebook post, people speculated how the boat ended up in Sheffield - 37 miles away from the Staffordshire theme park.

Mr Foster quickly laid claim to the boat, telling people it had floated out of his garden in Sheffield after heavy rain led to flooding back in October.

Parts of the river are fast-flowing following heavy rain

Mick Foster, in the spot where his boat used to be

"A friend said I should tie it up, but I told her it was really heavy. Twenty minutes later it's gone," he told the BBC.

He bought the fibreglass vessel after Alton Towers closed the flume ride in 2016.

The ride cars were auctioned off to collectors and enthusiasts, with Mr Foster buying one from a reseller months later for £350.

"I thought, I'll have one of those. An absolute bargain."

Mr Foster bought the flume boat from a collector on eBay after the ride had closed

The boat had lived happily on a patio in his garden next to the river, before it made a break for freedom.

"Someone messaged me to say they had seen it down the back of the railway tracks. I put a photo on and the responses were crazy. Who has a log flume boat in their back garden?" he said.

The River Sheaf was high and managed to drag the boat from his garden into the water

Mr Foster's headache lies in how he can bring it back to his house - and he has floated the idea of pushing it downstream to a nearby park, where access to the river is easier.

"Luckily, I've got a good friend who's an ex-power lifter. He said his lads at the arm-wrestling club in Chesterfield, they're going to get together and give me a hand. We just need the weather to get better," he said.

"I'll certainly tie it up this time."