Major UK theme park forced to close with tickets cancelled

Theme park forced to close just an hour after opening

Chessington World of Adventures opened at 10am as planned, but was closed for the remainder of the day when a burst water main left parts of the KT9 area without water. Thames Water confirmed the outage was affecting the area, leaving the theme park unable to continue operating normally.

The sudden closure left families who had already travelled to the park frustrated, with some reportedly forced to wait outside the entrance after arriving for their planned day out.

One father described the situation as an “utter shambles”, while another said his family had spent “hundreds on an overnight stay and fast passes” before the park was forced to close.

Chessington later apologised to affected visitors and confirmed that tickets would be “revalidated” so guests could return on another date. The park added: “We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.”

With families already making the most of the summer holidays, the unexpected shutdown is likely to have disrupted plans for a large number of visitors. 

Chessington welcomes roughly 1.5 million people each year, and its Return Promise means those affected by an unplanned closure can use their tickets to come back on a different date.