A guest at Alton Towers caused a major safety incident when he entered the underground section of the Oblivion rollercoaster on Tuesday.
Eyewitness accounts reported a man as climbing over the safety fences and emerging on a ledge where the ride track enters the ground (see picture below).
Unverified reports have claimed that he waded through the water feature at the opposite end where the track emerges from an underground tunnel – which he passed completely through, emerging as shown below.
This website understands that several trains passed through the area, although staff stopped dispatching the vehicles in time to prevent possible injury to the individual.
Police confirmed that a 20-year-old man was taken into custody following the incident.
Kevin Treacy of Staffordshire Police said: “The man was not injured and was arrested for causing a public nuisance.”
Safety procedures
The X Sector area of the park was closed off by staff, and people already in the area were reportedly moved on.
The BBC has quoted a spokesman for Alton Towers as saying: “As with all our rides the area surrounding the Oblivion track is securely fenced off and ride operators reacted immediately in line with our well-rehearsed safety procedures.
“A full investigation will now be carried out,” they added.
He was rescued by three fire crews after more than 90 minutes and taken to hospital nearby as a precaution.
Oblivion is expected to operate as normal on Wednesday.
