Thorpe Park has been forced to temporarily close the new Hyperia rollercoaster the day after its public opening.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are unable to open Hyperia on Saturday the 25th of May,” Thorpe Park said shortly before opening.
“We apologise for the disappointment this will cause and we are working hard to reopen Hyperia as soon as possible.”
The park later confirmed that the ride will be closed until at least Wednesday 29 May.
Thorpe Park was offering free return tickets to guests that arrived on Saturday.
Those with tickets for dates up to 29 May may change the date of their visit, the park said.
Likely technical issue
The news was announced less than 30 minutes before Thorpe Park was scheduled to open on Saturday.
Details of the issue affecting the ride has not been revealed, as is often standard practice.
Given the timeframe, a technical issue is likely to have become apparent during morning testing.
Engineering personnel were seen working on the ride’s lift hill during Saturday morning.
The Mack Rides-built rollercoaster operated late into Friday evening, after queues exceeding four hours were seen.
It is the UK’s tallest rollercoaster, at 236 feet. It is also claimed to be the country’s fastest, at 81 mph.