A father has been accused of racism after stopping alleged queue jumpers at Chessington World of Adventures in south-west London.
Following the launch of the theme park’s World of Paw Patrol attraction, a dispute erupted between two parents in the line for Zuma’s Hovercraft Adventure.
A father and his children claimed they had returned from the toilet to assume their original place in the line, but were stopped by a man named Luke Tickner, who accused them of “queue jumping”.
Mr Tickner was seen standing in front of the returning family, refusing to let them pass and accusing them of “playing the race card”.
In the video, the men are seen arguing in the line. Mr Tickner accuses one of the group of calling him a “racist” and is heard saying, “you’re wrong, you’re absolutely wrong.”
He tells the man: “I haven’t done anything wrong. You’re the one who’s now pulling the race card. We’re not letting you pass to queue jump. Everyone here is queueing.”
A woman pleaded with ride attendants to let the family back into the queue.
Mr Tickner identified himself in the comments of a video posted by the Ride Comparisons channel.
He later posted a photo of himself with a drink, reading: “Well earned after today. Might hire myself out to Merlin.”
Mr Tickner, from Whitely in Hampshire, claimed that the family “had never been in the queue” and it was only the mother who had waited in line.
He told the Daily Mail: “They never even went to the loo. The mum queued whilst they have been on other rides and they decided they wanted to push through
“He even admitted that they did this the previous day. We contacted staff and security came over to us but by this point they left as they knew they had done wrong.”
Mr Tickner added that staff were happy to review CCTV footage to see if they had been in the queue after all. He claimed the family left because they knew video footage would reveal they had been lying.
He accused the mother of the family of pushing his son.
The attendant on the Zuma’s Hovercraft Adventure can be heard in the video explaining to the video creators that if people do leave the queue, they need to let an attendant know.
The creators of the video, two brothers named Ben and Jacob, later praised Mr Tickner.
As listed on the theme park’s website, queue jumping is defined as “trying to gain access to a ride, attraction, or any other element that requires a queue or queue system through non authorised means.”
This includes cutting in front of others and leaving the queue before attempting to re-enter at the same place. It also includes saving a place for someone not in the queue.
The World of Paw Patrol launched this weekend and comprises a new immersive experience for children. It spans 1.4 acres and features four new rides, three themed play areas, and themed catering.
The park’s newest experience saw an investment of around £15 million.
Zuma’s Hovercraft Adventure is a “drifter ride” which simulates the sliding and spinning sensation of drifting a vehicle.
Many were in attendance at the preview event of World of Paw Patrol on Saturday including rugby star Joe Marler, BBC presented Alex Jones, Dani Dyer, Made in Chelsea’s Hugo Taylor, and Olympian Greg Rutherford.
