THIS is the terrifying moment thrillseekers were stuck on a rollercoaster at Alton Towers after it suddenly ground to a halt.
Riders were stranded on the 56ft tall Spinball Whizzer for around 20 minutes, the Theme park confirmed.
They were strapped into four-seat cars that spin 360 degrees while hurtling around a 1,540ft track.
Alton Towers said a guest accessed a “strictly prohibited ride area”.
The ride is designed to make thrill-seekers feel like a pinball being catapulted at speeds of up to 37mph.
A witness claimed that six people were stuck on the rollercoaster, which had to be shut downat 1.05pm today.
Heartstopping pictures show technicians wearing harnesses scaling the ride to reach the trapped adrenaline junkies.
Thrill-seekers can also be seen being helped out of ride cars that are suspended on the track.
Last month, Merlin was fined £5m for the horrific Smiler rollercoaster crash which resulted in two girls having their legs amputated.
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There were 16 people were on board one of its carriages when it collided in June last year with a stationary carriage at 52mph, causing life changing injuries to riders.
A judge ruled that Merlin Attractions Operations Ltd, the amusement park’s operator, was solely to blame for the crash last year.
It took up to five hours for the victims to be freed from the wreckage.
And just last month, passengers on the same rollercoaster were left trapped in the air for half-an-hour after the ride came to a halt.
The rollercoaster had only re-opened following the Smiler crash the day before – but stopped working again ten minutes later.
An Alton Towers spokesperson said: ““The Spinball Whizzer was temporarily stopped due to guest action.
“This was a procedural stop and nobody was at risk at any time.
“Guests were removed from the ride in line with our safety policy, and the ride restarted 45 minutes later.”
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