Alton Towers rides brought to a sudden halt over safety fears as thunderstorm soaks theme park thrillseekers
RIDES at Alton Towers were brought to a sudden halt today over safety fears as a thunderstorm soaked thrillseekers at the theme park.
Visitors wearing ponchos could be seen being helped out of a carriage on The Smiler, one of the rides which had to temporarily close, as the rain poured down.
It comes as the Met Office currently has thunderstorm warnings in place for this evening and tonight which cover all parts of the UK apart from central and northern Scotland.
Alton Towers said the decision to stop and close some of the rides was because of the “adverse weather conditions” and was a “precautionary measure” to “protect the health and wellbeing of employees and guests.”
Popular rides such as The Smiler and Oblivion were among those forced to close temporarily on Sunday, according to the theme park’s official app.
It is understood though that recent bouts of adverse weather have only caused “minor disruption” at the popular park.
A spokesperson for Alton Towers said: “Due to today’s adverse weather conditions some of our rides and attractions have temporarily closed.
“This is a precautionary measure to protect the health and well-being of our employees and guests. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
As part of its yellow weather warning for thunderstorms, the Met Office said there could be dangerous conditions on the roads with disruption to buses and trains.
A car was swallowed up in flash flooding in Sheffield as stormy weather hit the city.
The vehicle below a bridge in Upwell Street, near Page Hall and Attercliffe, was seen being dragged under the water as the rain poured down.
Over in Woodhouse Mill, near Sheffield, between 6pm and 7pm 35.6mm of rain fell, according to the Met Office.
In June, the entire UK averages 12 days of rain, totalling 77mm.
Six flood warnings were in place across parts of northern England by 8pm, after heavy rain swept in during earlier on in the day.
Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna said: “Half a month’s of rain has fallen in one hour in one location, in quite a few spots we’re seeing 15-20mm, even 30mm in an hour.
“There’s been quite a few storms embedded within that area of northern England, Northern Ireland and one or two in parts of Wales.
“It’s pretty torrential, 25 to 35mm in an hour is certainly going to cause some flooding problems, and there’s still potentially bad conditions to come.”
England’s chances of securing a win in the first Ashes test at Edgbaston were dealt a blow as play was halted due to the wet weather.
A yellow thunderstorm warning almost entirely covers England and Wales between noon and midnight, and there is also one until 9pm in Northern Ireland.
It warns of heavy showers, the potential for frequent lightning, strong winds and hail – which could cause flooding, travel issues and power cuts.
In northern England and Scotland, a yellow heavy rain warning is in place from 7pm on Sunday until noon on Monday.
An elderly woman had to be rescued from her home in Manchester after a huge thunderstorm caused Water Street to flood.
Roads in the city centre, Trafford and Crumpsall were also flooded with cars struggling to get through.
Homes and offices in the town of Crediton in Devon was flooded out due to a thunderstorm with some roads under six inches of water.
Karen Greenslade had her porch and part of her house under several inches of water.
Wrexham, in North Wales, has also suffered from flash floods.
North Wales Police said it has received numerous calls, with some roads left “impassable”.
Wrexham AFC also confirmed the 1864 Suite restaurant inside its Racecourse ground had to be evacuated, as the storms caused structural damage to one of its stands.
Kettering, in Northamptonshire, suffered an “absolute deluge” this afternoon.
Several roads were flooded after the drains failed to cope with the heavy rain at about 4.30pm.
The Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to several homes in the county after flash floods affected the electrics in the properties.
Flooding also caused disruption on the M6 in the West Midlands with delays in both directions.
National Highways said in a Twitter message that the north and southbound link roads at Gravelly Hill to the A38M towards Birmingham were closed.
Currently, England’s Environment Agency has seven flood warnings and 35 flood alerts in place.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued 14 flood alerts.
Sarah Cook of the Environment Agency said: “On Sunday afternoon and into the night, slow-moving heavy showers and thunderstorms could lead to localised surface water flooding across England.
“Environment Agency teams are out on the ground and will support local authorities in responding to surface water flooding.”