A furious woman has hit out at Alton Towers staff after they made her carry her sister off a rollercoaster because 'she was breaking health and safety rules'.
Hannah Cheetham, 30, who has cerebral palsy, had gone to the theme park for a birthday day out with her sister Becky, 28, but despite paying a £40 entrance fee staff said she could not get on the iconic Rita or the Smiler and a third attraction.
Hannah was actually seated in a car on Rita – the Staffordshire park’s fastest rollercoaster at 62mph when she was asked to leave after workers noticed her disability and said her condition meant there was a ''risk to health and safety.''
Another staff member working on the Smiler was said to have shouted: ''She can't get on - she can't walk'' when she noticed Hannah in the queue.
Later when the sisters attempted to enter Duel – an interactive, haunted house and rollercoaster all in one – they found the disabled access entrance listed on the park’s map no longer existed.
A spokesperson for the park has since said they are 'deeply sorry for the incident'.
A friend captured the moment Hannah was left flood of tears and being comforted by her sister in a picture which went viral on social media.
On Wednesday Becky, a children's nurse from Stockport, Greater Manchester said: ''Despite her disability, Hannah is quite the adrenaline junkie and she was inconsolable after she was humiliated in public like that.
''It also was really upsetting that staff at Alton Towers caused such a distressing and embarrassing scene for Hannah and myself in front of other park visitors.
''They need to invest in clearer guidance for guests with disabilities and train their staff adequately on this guidance. They need to make sure these issues do not arise again, I’d hate to think this could happen to somebody else. ''
The incident occurred on Monday after Becky decided to spend her birthday at the popular theme park with Hannah.
She added: “We bought our accessible wristbands and were handed our park maps at the entrance, but nobody mentioned anything about Hannah being unable to ride certain rollercoasters.
“We headed straight to the Smiler and we were shown to the disabled access point. There, we were met by two workers who showed us up to the ride’s entrance in the lift.
"But at the top, we were greeted by the most miserable woman who told me Hannah couldn’t ride if she couldn’t walk.
“The lady then turned to her coworker and shouted, for everybody to hear, ‘she can’t walk’ before shutting a door behind us.
''Hannah is a human being, completely aware of her surroundings and of what people are saying to her.
"I was so embarrassed that her insecurities had been shouted across a ride for everybody to hear when the woman could have handled matters much more discreetly.
“We had passed three lots of workers, and not one of them thought to explain the rules of the ride before we got up there and had to turn back around.”
Despite Miss Cheetham’s frustration, her anguish only intensified when the sisters were asked to exit Rita – the park’s fastest rollercoaster – due to Hannah being unable to walk, despite the fact they were already seated on the ride.
Miss Cheetham said: “Hannah loves Rita and we got straight onto the ride with no wait time which was a bonus.
"Two workers watched me carry Hannah onto the ride and we both sat down and were strapped in by the workers.
“We were ready to go and both so excited. But then a worker came over to me, not Hannah, and asked ‘can she walk?’
"I calmly explained they had just seen me carry her onto the ride and that obviously she could not. At this point, there was a crowd of people waiting for the next train and they were all looking at us.
“One worker then said Hannah could not ride due to health and safety and said we would have to leave the ride. I was so angry that I started to cry.
"They had embarrassed us by letting us get on the ride in the first place, only to publicly remove us.”
The sisters headed to customer services where staff explained health and safety considerations and listed the rides Hannah could ride on.
"The sisters were also given a full refund.
Becky added: “After spending £40 per ticket, driving for one and a half hours and wasting my birthday, we eventually went on two rides – The Runaway Minetrain and the Teacups which are marketed as children’s rides. Wheelchair users want the same experiences as everyone else.
"We have never had a problem before.
“We would like Alton Towers to become more mindful of inclusivity.
"They claim to be “committed to providing an enjoyable and safe visit for all of our guests” and say they “reserve the right to refuse admission to certain rides should we feel there is a danger to an individual for whatever reason”.
"I accept all the above, however we are in 2020, and other parks have been able to make real adaptations for wheelchair users.
“Having been to Disney World, Universal Resorts, Blackpool Pleasure Beach and even Alton Towers two years ago, how can this theme park claim to be inclusive for people with disabilities when a fully grown adult can only have fun on a teacup ride?
" It makes no sense.
“They need to make sure that every ride is accessible, even to those with a disability, providing somebody can support them on and off the ride.
"We also hope they take on board the issues with how they addressed, or failed to address, Hannah.
"More members of staff need to be aware of policies before they allow wheelchair users to the point of entry, having to turn them away again.
“I don’t want an apology from Alton Towers, I want them to seek to change to ensure each and every guest has a pleasurable and happy experience, like they promise they will.”
Kate McBirnie, Head of Product Excellence at Alton Towers Resort, told Mirror Online: “We are deeply sorry for this incident, which falls well below the high expectations we have for our employees.
"At Alton Towers Resort, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive resort and we really value the feedback that Hannah and Becky have sent to us, and also in the video that they have taken time to create.
"We have certainly listened and we want to do better – particularly in the area of staff training and the way we communicate ride restrictions to guests with disabilities.
"We have invited Hannah and Becky back to discuss the changes we can make, and we look forward to showing them how committed we are to making sure that their experience is not repeated.”
