M&D's family 'buys out' failed Motherwell theme park

The theme park boasted 40 attractions

A Scottish theme park which closed due to financial problems in April, has announced it has been "bought out of administration".

M&D's "Scotland's Theme Park" announced on its Facebook page on Monday that it was under control of new management.

M&D (Leisure) Ltd went into administration on 23 April, making 165 staff instantly redundant.

The park now appears to have been taken over by a new company called Lochview Theme Park (Scotland).

The three directors of Lochview - Lillian Connelly, 46 Marc Taylor, 35 and Matthew Taylor, 42, were previously named as directors of M&D Amusements Ltd, a company formed in March 2019.

M&D (Leisure) Ltd had one director, 71-year-old Matthew William Taylor.

Coinciding with the announcement on Monday, a "First Gazette" notice was filed by M&D Amusements to dissolve the company.

The theme park has been at Strathclyde Park since 1996

Documents at Companies House also show that a bank has given Lochview money in exchange for the equivalent of a mortgage over the land M&Ds occupies at Strathclyde Park.

• M&Ds Motherwell theme park fined £65,000 over Tsunami ride crash

• M&D's rollercoaster crash victims get £1.2m in damages payouts

The firm had already laid off staff at "Scotland's Theme Park" and the Alona Hotel in Strathclyde Park during the coronavirus lockdown.

The move, just before payday, angered staff who posted on social media that they were expecting to receive furlough payments.

Administrators Michelle Elliot and Stuart Robb of Leonard Curtis Business Rescue & Recovery said that prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the group had been in advanced discussions to agree a sale of the business.

They also said that a sale of certain of the group's assets was concluded shortly after the joint administrators' appointment.

Monday's announcement came on social media. The post said: "We are delighted to announce that Scotland's Theme Park has been bought out of administration and has new management in place.

"In line with Scottish government guidelines, we are working hard behind the scenes to be able to reopen Scotland's Theme Park as well as Devil's Island Adventure Golf, and Amazonia when restrictions have been lifted.

"We are working within the physical distancing guidelines as outlined by the Scottish government, as well as introducing additional hand sanitising stations located throughout the park and Amazonia and look forward to welcoming you back in the near future."

However many comments under the announcement were expressions of anger at treatment of the staff who were made redundant.

Nine people were injured when gondolas on the Tsunami ride crashed to the ground in 2016

Last year the owners were fined £65,000 for health and safety breaches after a rollercoaster derailed in June 2016.

Seven children were among nine people injured when five gondolas plunged 30ft to the ground.