The Smiler Breaks AGAIN: Alton Towers Ride Leaves Riders Stranded For An HOUR Mid-Air

Visitors at Alton Towers have been left stuck on a rollercoaster that previously crashed, seriously injuring five people and leaving two requiring leg amputations.

The thrill-seekers were on The Smiler when there was a ‘temporary stoppage’ this morning, but a spokeswoman for the park says that nobody was injured.

Photos posted on social media appear to show the ride in a stationary position as it heads up the track- with riders facing the sky.

Liam Dennett, 33, from Cheltenham, was in the queue for the ride when an announcement was made about a ‘technical fault’.

Mr Dennett said: ‘The ride’s still closed now. We can see it in the distance that it’s still closed. I would say between 30 and probably 35/40 minutes that they were stuck for.

‘My son still wants to go on it, but I wouldn’t go on it personally now’, he added.

The £18m ride previously came under intense scrutiny when it smashed into another carriage on June 2 2015.

Five people were left seriously injured, and an investigation found that a computer block had been over-ridden by staff, which caused the crash.

As a result, the full carriage ploughed into the back of the empty car, leaving Leah Washington, 18, and Vicky Balch, 21, needing leg amputations.

Merlin Attraction Operations LTD has since admitted a breach of health and safety over the incident, and paid out considerable compensation fees to the victims.

An Alton Towers spokeswoman said: ‘On Thursday September 1, Alton Towers Resort stopped The Smiler to investigate claims a piece of debris that had fallen from a carriage.

‘At no time were guests on the ride at any risk and all were safely removed from the ride promptly by staff in line with our comprehensive standard procedures.

Victims of the Smiler, rollercoaster crash meet the rescue crews who saved them (L-R) Daniel Thorpe, Leah Washington, Chief Fire Officer Peter Dartford, Joe Pugh and Victoria Balch

'As the health and safety of our guests is our priority, the ride will remain closed whilst the Resort’s technical team investigate the matter.’

It isn’t clear if the ride will re-open today.

When the question was posed on Twitter, the resort responded: ‘Hi, we are looking to get the Smiler up as soon as possible, keep an eye on the queue time boards around the resort for more.’

The theme park said there were 32 people on the ride when the incident happened.