Gnomes abandoned at Alton Towers

A gnome crèche has been set up at Alton Towers

Staff at Alton Towers are trying to find homes for 200 gnomes left behind by visitors.

Bosses at the Staffordshire attraction offered free entry to anyone who arrived accompanied by a gnome throughout May.

The offer was in response to a book which criticised Alton Towers while praising attractions such as Gnome Magic and the British Lawnmower Museum.

A spokesman said they had "unwittingly created a gnome mountain".

The adrenaline from the rides must have gone to their heads as a great many of them have forgotten to take their gnomes home Mike Lorimer, Alton Towers

The book focuses on the underdogs of British tourism and offers an alternative to "going round a rollercoaster at a hundred miles an hour with ice cream in your hair".

Mike Lorimer, from Alton Towers, said: "Undoubtedly, the crazy, thrill-inducing world of a theme park is not for everyone, but with 2.3 million visitors per year, they clearly appeal to a large number."

In response to the book, bosses offered more than 1,000 visitors a free entry ticket if they arrived at the park with a gnome.

"But the adrenaline from the rides must have gone to their heads as a great many of them have forgotten to take their gnomes home at the end of the day," added Mr Lorimer.

"We now have a mini colony of gnomes alone."

He said a gnome crèche had been set up for anyone in need of a bearded ornament for their garden.