Iconic ride is to be dismantled

Riders are turned upside down twice within three seconds

An iconic rollercoaster at Alton Towers is to be taken down to make way for something bigger and better, bosses at the Staffordshire theme park have said.

The 28-year-old Corkscrew, which cost £1.25m, was Europe's first double-looped rollercoaster.

It has carried an estimated 43.5 million people and will be ridden for the last time on 9 November.

Bosses said rollercoasters had changed a lot in the last 30 years and it was time for a replacement.

The ride, which reaches speeds of up to 44mph (70km/h), opened on 4 April 1980.

Russell Barnes, from the theme park, said: "The corkscrew has played a key part in the heritage of the Alton Towers Resort, and I am sure millions of our guests will look back with fond memories of the first time they were inverted upside down, twice within three seconds.

"We are extremely proud to have hosted Europe's first double helix rollercoaster, but it is now the right time to say goodbye to the attraction as we look forward to continuing to pioneer fantastic family entertainment of the future."