Chessington World of Adventures has been forced to close for the day, sparking outrage for customers who said they were unable to claim refunds.
Thrillseekers and parents hoping to take their children for a day out during the school summer holidays were left disappointed after a water outage in the KT9 area of Surrey left the amusement park unable to operate.
Chessington has advised people not to travel to the theme park if they had tickets booked for Monday.
A statement from the park on its website read: “Due to a water outage in the local area affecting our operations, Chessington is closed today. All tickets booked for today will be automatically revalidated under our Return Promise and can be used on a future date. We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.”
Customers were told they would be able to return for free on “selected dates” within nine months under the Return Promise that is only issued during inclement weather that lasts over an hour, extreme weather like heatwaves, power cuts and loss of water. Returning requires customers to pre-book a reservation ticket.
Journalist Jessica Elgot shared a photo from the site of the shut down park and said on social media that there were “zero comms till you arrive, no refund available and only a guarantee of a return on ‘limited dates’.”
Chessington told The Independent that those unable to return on another date could contact the Help Centre for a refund.
One customer on social media, who said he was queued outside the park shortly after 10am, said it was an “utter shambles” as the theme park provided “no information whatsoever on why they won’t let us into the park - but rides going past with people on them.”
Thames Water reported a burst water main on Leatherhead Road which appeared to be behind the water outage, according to a statement issued on the water company’s website.
“We are working to carry out the repair on the damaged pipe to get water flowing through your taps as soon as possible,” the statement read, promising an update by 2pm.
The water outage comes as Thames Water and South East Water customers are currently under a hosepipe ban as half of England remains under a drought. The National Drought Group will meet on Monday to decide whether more parts of England are experiencing drought conditions.
A spokesperson from Chessington World of Adventures said: "We are currently experiencing operational disruption due to a burst water main that is affecting the local area. As a result, the attraction is closed today while our teams work closely with Thames Water and local partners to restore normal operations as quickly and safely as possible.
“We appreciate the patience and understanding of our guests and can confirm that anyone impacted will be automatically revalidated under our Return Promise. The safety of our guests and employees remains our highest priority."
