Offbeat: Get a leg up at Alton Towers

Alton Tower’s Vekoma-built Corkscrew is being removed after 28 years of operation.  Cleanup by staff has already begun and some odd items have been found, yet again at the English park.

 

A prosthetic leg, a diamond-studded wedding ring as well as 12 crosses were found on the site.  It is not clear if the leg became detached during the ride or was simply left behind by a forgetful rider.

 

Strangely enough the leg is not the first prosthetic left behind on the Corkscrew – a prosthetic ear was found in the past as well.  Other items found on the roller coaster site during its history have included 800 pieces of jewelry, 53 shoes, 604 watches, 237 cell phones, 10 pieces of underwear and thousands of caps.

 

Russell Barnes, Divisional Director at Alton Towers, said: "As the Corkscrew is the oldest roller coaster in the Park, we were expecting to find some strange items when we started clearing the Corkscrew area but a prosthetic leg definitely tops the list as the most bizarre. If anyone has any information on the missing leg, we would be keen to hear from them."

 

The Corkscrew was Europe’s first double-corkscrew coaster when it opened in April 1980 and has carried more than 43 million riders.  Corkscrew makes its last runs on November 9.

 

For more information visit TMG.