Visitors at Thorpe Park were left terrified after riders reportedly became stranded on the Hyperia rollercoaster for around 30 minutes during scorching 33C temperatures. Shocking footage circulating online appeared to show passengers stuck more than 200 feet in the air near the highest point of the ride after the attraction reportedly suffered a breakdown on Sunday, May 25.

According to reports shared by social media account UB1UB2, two rides at the theme park experienced technical issues on what became the hottest May day ever recorded in the UK.

Hyperia, which opened in 2024, currently holds the title of the UK’s tallest and fastest rollercoaster, overtaking Thorpe Park’s famous Stealth ride.

Ahead of the heatwave, the park had already warned guests that some attractions could temporarily close due to extreme weather conditions and safety precautions.

The incident happened as temperatures soared across the country, with the Met Office later confirming the UK had provisionally recorded its hottest spring day ever.

A temperature of 34.8C was logged at Kew Gardens, while parts of London, Surrey, Berkshire and Oxfordshire all experienced temperatures above 33C.

Met Office Chief Operational Meteorologist Dan Suri said: “We’ve now provisionally broken the spring and May temperature record.

“Meteorologically, what we’ve seen is the influence of warmth building under an area of high pressure near the UK allowing exceptional heat to build allowing maximum and minimum temperatures to reach levels not previously reported at this time of year.”

The dramatic video quickly sparked reactions online, with followers of Instagram page The Shade Borough flooding the comments section with jokes and horror at the thought of being trapped on the ride.

One of our Residents wrote: “I’d be crying so much. You know that person where you start think ‘it’s not that bad sis’." Another added, "That would be me and as I’ve gotten older I actually value my life, me and these machines are not friends.”

A third joked: “The whole theme park would be named after me !!!!!!!!!!”

A fourth commented: “I'll hold the jackets you guys go on and have fun, i'll be here.”

Someone else added: “They would be reading my obituary today.”

Another viewer simply wrote: “And this is why I like my feet on the ground. Absolutely not.”

The Met Office has warned temperatures could climb even higher, with forecasts suggesting parts of the UK may reach 35C by the end of the week.