TWO visitors to a North Yorkshire theme park were injured when part of a rollercoaster flew into a line of queuing customers.

The visitors - a 15-year old girl and a 26-year-old woman - were waiting in line for the Hero rollercoaster at Flamingo Land at about 3.30pm on Friday, when a piece of a passing carriage from the ride fell off and struck them.

A spokeswoman for Flamingo Land said: “A foot-rail became detached from one of the cars and struck two female guests who were queuing for the ride.

“The ladies who were injured both sustained a cut to the head and are aged 15 and 26 respectively.

“They received medical attention on the park and the younger lady was taken to hospital by ambulance for further examination. The ride has been taken out of operation in accordance with our operational procedures and will be subject to a full inspection.”

The £8 million rollercoaster was first launched in 2013 and climbs to heights of 66 feet, while travelling on parts of the track at up to 25mph and boasts of “creating the incredible sensation of zero gravity”.

The spokeswoman said North Yorkshire Police and the Health and Safety Executive had been informed about the incident, and the theme park is co-operating with the investigation.