'Loose bolt' fears close theme park ride Visitors queuing for the £18m Smiler ride, which has 14 loops and reaches speeds of up to 53mph, claim they saw a piece of metal break away from the ride and land near them, leaving a gap in the track on Sunday. Fiona Gilbert, 20, from Wolverhampton, told the Express and Star newspaper: "We were stood there when all of a sudden we heard a massive clanging sound. The theme park in Derbyshire today confirmed it had closed the ride, which opened in May, while their technical team investigate. A spokeswoman for Alton Towers said: "On Sunday 21st July, in line with our standard procedures, Alton Towers Resort closed The Smiler to investigate a small piece of debris that had allegedly fallen from the track. At no time was any visitor at any risk, and 48 guests on the ride at the time were safely disembarked. As the health and safety of our guests is our primary concern, the ride will remain closed whilst the Resort's technical team investigate.