Drayton Manor theme park sold after entering administration

Drayton Manor opened in Staffordshire in 1950

A family-run theme park hit by Storm Dennis and coronavirus has been sold after entering administration.

Drayton Manor, in Tamworth, has been run by three generations of the Bryan family since opening in 1950.

It has been sold to Looping Group, which runs attractions in Europe and the UK including West Midland Safari Park and Pleasurewood Hills.

About 600 people were employed at the Staffordshire Park and their jobs have been protected, administrators said.

The park was forced to close in February after it was flooded during Storm Dennis

The Drayton Manor group, which owns a catering and hotels company alongside the theme park, has been facing "exceptionally challenging conditions," Mike Denny, from administrators PwC, said.

"In February, Storm Dennis forced the park to close unexpectedly whilst its planned reopening in March was delayed due to Covid-19," he said, adding that these factors had "exacerbated" cash flow problems.

The park's Splash Canyon has been closed since 2017 when 11-year-old Evha Jannath from Leicester fell from the ride and drowned.

Following her inquest in November, the Health and Safety Executive announced plans to prosecute the park over her death.

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William Bryan is the third generation of his family to run the Staffordshire park and said it had "faced challenges over recent months".

Just under 600 jobs have been preserved in the sale

He said the priority of the family was to protect the positions of its 599 employees and the sale was "a positive new chapter" for the park that attracts more than a million visitors per year.

With the takeover by Looping Group, administrators said the park and its facilities would operate as usual and existing bookings were being honoured.

The theme park recently reopened with modifications after lockdown restrictions were eased.

Ticket sales have been restricted and a number of attractions have been closed to better allow for social distancing.