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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
World
Daniela Loffreda & Laycie Beck

YouTubers stand on top of Oblivion after Alton Towers break-in

A YouTube video has been uploaded showing two men dancing at the top of the world's first vertical drop rollercoaster. A video was uploaded on Friday, January 6, which shows two men in black hoodies and balaclavas at the top of Oblivion, the tallest rollercoaster at Alton Towers.

The pair appear to explore the site at night and access areas which are off limits to members of the public. The 22-minute-long video was titled ‘Sneaking into Alton Towers and having a party’, reports Derbyshire Live.

According to Staffordshire police, it is believed that the pair also caused criminal damage during the break-in, which took place in the early hours of the same morning the video was uploaded. Towards the end of the video two men can be seen dancing on the top of the Oblivion rollercoaster but it is not clear how they got to the top of the ride or got down, with the incline and decline edited out.

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The pair launched a drone from the top of Oblivion and flew it over the theme park whilst dancing to music. The video also shows the two men exploring other areas in the 550-acre park, such as restricted parts of the theme park, two of the scare mazes and the ride stations.

In a statement, a Staffordshire Police said: “We were called to Alton Towers Theme Park at 11am on Saturday (January 7) following reports of criminal damage.

"Two men had forced their way into the site overnight to film a video for social media. They were both wearing balaclavas and hoodies at the time and are believed to have been inside the park in the early hours of 6 January. Local officers are making enquiries into the incident.”

The video has racked up more than 57,000 views and 550 comments in the last six days on YouTube, with many viewers expressing concern for the level of security measures in place at the theme park.

One viewer said: “I'm more concerned on how security had no clue, mad to see the towers in a different perspective but I don't condone it at all.” Another added: “How does a theme park the size of Alton Towers not have proper security?”

A third added: “This video was actually hilarious, and is kind of scary knowing that even though you guys had no malicious intent sneaking in other than this video, someone else could have come with a bomb or sabotaged other things. Merlin really needs to up their security.”

Anyone with any information which can help identify those responsible is asked to get in touch with Staffordshire Police on Facebook, Twitter, or by calling 101 and quoting incident 266 of January 7.

A spokesperson for Alton Towers Resort, part of Merlin Entertainments Group, said: “In 2018 Merlin Entertainments Group was granted a High Court injunction against all unauthorised access to all our sites across England and Wales. By illegally trespassing ‘Out of Society’ have risked their own lives, but also endangered our visitors, employees and our property and we take that extremely seriously.

“They now face a significant fine, imprisonment and seizure of their assets. We immediately started an internal investigation and are working closely with the Police. Further action will be taken. “

The group also noted that it takes matters regarding safety and security extremely seriously. Information regarding the High Court injunction can be found on the Alton Towers website.

Alton Towers annually closes through the winter months from November to March. Those who would like to report information anonymously can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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