Thorpe Park's shiny new ride billed as UK's fastest rollercoaster 'breaks down' after a few hours

Thorpe Park's shiny new ride, billed as the tallest and fastest in the UK, has shut just one day after it opened. Hyperia at the theme park in Surrey is claimed to be the country's biggest, at 236ft, and speediest, with a top speed of 81mph. It was opened to the public on Friday (May 26), but on Saturday the park's management announced the ride had closed with an update on X.

"Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are unable to open Hyperia between Sunday 26th-Wednesday 29th May," said the statement, "We apologise for the disappointment this will cause and we are working hard to reopen Hyperia as soon as possible."

Anyone who pre-booked tickets during the temporary closure period will be able to re-book for another day free of charge, according to the theme park. Thorpe Park also said it would update its ride availability page with the latest information about opening Hyperia after Wednesday (May 29).

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Though it is not clear what the issue with the ride is, a theme park fan shared a photo that appears to show engineers working at the top of the ride. The account ThorpeParkMania wrote on X: "Engineers can be seen working at the very top of Hyperia - hopefully not too long till we can find our fearless once again."

Another account shared a photo of engineers at the bottom of the ride, and said: "Hyperia remains closed with engineers inspecting the base of the lift hill and the drive wheels."

While some rollercoaster enthusiasts were glad their ticket could be refunded or moved to another day, some shared their frustration about money wasted on travel plans and accommodation. Rich Moors wrote: "Three hour drive And Hyperia is closed all day And it’s my birthday WHAT THE ACTUAL F**K??"

Not everyone was upset though. For those who were lucky enough to get a go before it closed, the reviews were positive. Andy Green wrote: "Had my first ride on Hyperia at Thorpe Park. Oh my god! What a ride! As a larger build, I don't normally get "airtime", I am always the 'click the restraint needs to be deemed closed', but oh boy, I got thrown around, lifted out of my seat! A-maz-ing! Now, find YOUR fearless!"

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