Nemesis: Alton Towers ride to close for major refurb

Alton Towers famous Nemesis rollercoaster is to close this weekend for a major revamp after almost 30 years of exciting thrill seekers.

Opening in 1994, it was the first inverted rollercoaster in Europe - with train carriages running under the tracks rather than on top of them.

The £10m rollercoaster travels at speeds of up to 50mph and includes a number of twists and turns.

It will power down on Sunday when the Staffordshire park closes for winter.

John Wardley, the ride's creator, said it had always been popular, drawing in fans from far and wide.

Rollercoaster fan Richard Jones went on the ride with his father in 1994

"We knew were were doing something special, but we just didn't realise just how special it was going to be," he said.

"When Nemesis opened, people were coming from theme parks all around the world to see it, and they still do.

"Although a number of these rides have been built all around the world since, everyone says Nemesis is still the best."

More than 40 million people have experienced the twisting speeds of the ride along with a G-Force of 3.5 since it first opened, the park said.

The rollercoaster's carriages have also covered some 1.5m miles.

Creator John Wardley will be among the last to experience the ride on Sunday

Richard Jones, from Gloucestershire and member of the Rollercoaster Club of Great Britain, said he had been on the ride thousands of times since his first go with his father in 1994.

"Any time anyone mentions Alton Towers, the first ride anyone thinks of is Nemesis," he said.

"Some people rate it still the number one coaster in the world even, but to me it will always, always be my number one in the UK and I'm glad Alton Towers is looking after this ride."

Mr Wardley said the ride had always been popular

Kate McBirnie, head of guest excellence at the theme park, said they want to preserve the ride as best as they can and the revamp will help that.

Mr Wardley is to be among the last to experience the ride on Sunday until it reopens in 2024.

He said it will be a poignant moment.

"It's going to be sad, but I'm regarding it as the start of the next 30 years of Nemesis which really is fantastic," he said.