Rides at Alton Towers were forced to shut down due to safety concerns as a thunderstorm drenched thrill-seekers at the amusement park

The rides at Alton Towers were suddenly shut down for safety reasons today as a thunderstorm soaked adventure seekers at the theme park.

Visitors in ponchos could be seen being helped out of a carriage on the Smiler, one of the rides that had to be temporarily closed due to the torrential rain.

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This comes as the Met Office currently has thunderstorm warnings for tonight and tonight covering all parts of the UK except central and northern Scotland.

Alton Towers said the decision to pause and close some rides was due to the “adverse weather conditions” and was a “precautionary measure” to “protect the health and well-being of staff and guests”.

Popular rides like The Smiler and Oblivion had to temporarily close on Sunday, according to the theme park’s official app.

However, it is understood that recent bouts of severe weather have caused only “minor disruption” at the popular park.

A spokesman for Alton Towers said: “Due to today’s adverse weather conditions, some of our rides and attractions are temporarily closed.

“This is a precautionary measure to protect the health and well-being of our staff and guests. We apologize for any inconvenience.”

As part of its yellow weather warning for thunderstorms, the Met Office said the roads could experience dangerous conditions and disruption to buses and trains.

A car was swallowed up by flash floods in Sheffield as stormy weather hit the city.

The vehicle was seen being dragged under water under a bridge on Upwell Street, near Page Hall and Attercliffe, as the rain fell.

According to the Met Office, 35.6mm of rain fell between 6pm and 7pm at Woodhouse Mill near Sheffield.

In June there is an average of 12 rainy days across the UK, a total of 77mm.

As of 8pm, six flood warnings were in effect across parts of northern England after heavy rain fell earlier in the day.

Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna said: “In one place half a month of rain has fallen in one hour, in some places we are seeing 15 to 20mm, even 30mm in one hour.”

“There have been quite a number of storms in this area of ​​northern England and Northern Ireland and one or two in parts of Wales.

“It’s quite torrential, 25-35mm in an hour will certainly cause some flooding issues and bad conditions can still be in store.”

England’s chances of winning the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston were hampered as play was suspended due to wet weather.

A yellow thunderstorm warning applies almost entirely to England and Wales between midday and midnight, with Northern Ireland also having a warning until 9pm.

It warns of heavy rains, possible frequent lightning, strong winds and hail, which can cause flooding, travel problems and power outages.

A yellow heavy rain warning is in effect in northern England and Scotland from 7pm Sunday to midday Monday.

An elderly woman had to be rescued from her home in Manchester after a massive thunderstorm devastated Water Street.

City center streets, as well as Trafford and Crumpsall, were also swamped with cars struggling to get through.

Homes and offices in the Devon town of Crediton were flooded as a result of a thunderstorm, with some streets six inches under water.

Karen Greenslade’s porch and part of her house were several inches under water.

Flash flooding also hit Wrexham in North Wales.

North Wales Police say they have received numerous calls that some roads have remained “impassable”.

Wrexham AFC also confirmed that the 1864 Suite restaurant at the racecourse had to be evacuated as the storms caused structural damage to one of its stands.

Kettering in Northamptonshire suffered “absolute flooding” this afternoon.

Several streets were flooded after drains failed to withstand the heavy rain around 4.30pm.

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Services have been called to several houses in the county after flash flooding affected the electrical systems in the properties.

Flooding also caused disruption on the M6 ​​in the West Midlands, with delays in both directions.

National Highways tweeted that the northbound and southbound link roads at Gravelly Hill to the A38M bound for Birmingham were closed.

The English Environment Agency currently has seven flood warnings and 35 flood warnings.

The Scottish Environment Agency has issued 14 flood warnings.

Sarah Cook of the Environment Agency said: “Slowly progressing heavy showers and thunderstorms could cause localized surface water flooding across England on Sunday afternoon and into the night.”

“Teams from the Environment Agency are on the ground and will support local authorities in responding to surface water flooding.”

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