A rollercoaster at Paultons Park malfunctioned this afternoon, Wednesday, August 23, leaving passengers stranded metres above the ground.

According to James Mancey, operations director at the New Forest theme park, the Storm Chaser ride 'stopped during operation' at 2.30pm.

Images taken of the incident showed passengers stuck in carriages at the top of a drop on the tracks, suspended several metres in the air.

READ MORE: Paultons Park unveils new Tornado Springs attractions

Concerns were raised by eyewitnesses about the welfare of the stranded passengers due to the hot weather.

Forecasts suggested temperatures reached 23 degrees Celsius today with little cloud cover.

According to Mr Mancey, harnessed ride engineers were dispatched to give out cold bottles of water to all guests.

They were evacuated within an hour of the incident happening and no-one required medical attention, the theme park confirmed.

Hampshire Chronicle:

Mr Mancey said: "I am sorry that guests on site with us today have been inconvenienced by this situation and for any concern this incident may have caused.

"Our independently assessed ride evacuation processes are well practiced throughout the year, and so enabled a swift and efficient response, with guest welfare as our top priority.

"The ride is now running normally and is back in use for our guests to enjoy this afternoon.”

READ MORE: Paultons Park is second best theme park in UK according to awards

It is currently unclear what caused the ride to malfunction.

The ride features spinning carriages and has a top height of 20 metres.

According to the Paultons Park website, the rollercoaster is classified as a 'thrill ride'.

It forms part of the midwestern-inspired Tornado Springs complex, the plans of which were unveiled in 2019.

Speaking at the time, Mr Mancey said it was the 'only rollercoaster of its type in the UK'.

He added: "We’ve coupled the vibrant appeal and charm of the 1950’s era with best-in-class rides and attractions to create a truly unique world which, in association with our existing fantastic themed lands, will stand head and shoulders above any other family attraction in the UK."

The Storm Chaser won Best New Attraction at the UK Theme Park Awards in 2021.