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Drayton Manor Park

There also signs all in the queue line saying you will get wet you may get soaked. They also a rain Mack machine near the start of the ride if u still want to ride and not get wet. Every rapids rides should have a extra warning saying if you stand up repeatedly you will be removed from the park without a refund.
2 weeks ago on stormforce 10
someone stood up after the 2nd drop and staff warned please sit down.
 
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@Alsty We aren’t, and in time that information is likely to be released to the public, but we are still able to make observations and understand some facts, given some information has been given.
@Themeparksandy1981 I agree. And standing up on Stormforce 10 is incredibly dangerous and should result in immediate ejection from the park. That to me carries far more risk than Splash Canyon did!
The consequences of Drayton could be far more serious than some here suspect, so if, when all the information does become available, we are not convinced they are at fault, then this must be taken to the supreme court. Let's forget indemnity insurance for now, I'm completely unaware of their audit fees/remunerations and if they would be enough to cover corporate manslaughter on any level.
Take a look at this if you haven't already:
https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/corporate-manslaughter

Within this, the sentencing is explained:
"A definitive sentencing guideline has been published by the Sentencing Council with effect from 1st February 2016. The level of sentence will depend on the size of the organisation. The sentence range is specified as £180,000 to £20 million. "

This goes back to what I mentioned a number of pages back, which is where culpability is scaled with the risk of harm (the risk of death in this instance is in Harm category 1, 2 and 3) for any offence related to health and safety

Drayton are a medium business so here are what they could be fined.
39068339_1927382360618356_3831321612141985792_n.jpg

Depending on how the judge interprets this, or chooses which category to go for, it could be very damaging to Drayton.
This is serious stuff.
 
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But they haven’t actually been charged with anything yet. No point worrying about the size of a fine. They might not make it to court, let alone be found guilty.
 
Well been reading up on oakwoods death on Hydro and they were found guilty of her death and was fined £250000.
H&S have let Drayton Manor and other uk parks to run there rapids without doors and seat belts since the min 80’s.
They can operate 21 boats at a time so if every seat is used 126 people. They can watch the cctv all day,have warning signs around the track and on the boat and use the PA system to tell guests to sit down but if 1 guest pays no notice to this what else can they do.
On the trial they will listen to the H&S report,witnesses reports of the other guests in the boat and the other boats around them,The staff loading the boat that day and the people in the control booth watching the cctv and operating the ride. They will also show the cctv video and how long it took Drayton Manor to react to her falling into the water to been pulled out the water. Do all staff have basic first aid training or did they have to wait to first aid got on the scene.
 
Sauron97 said:
@Alsty We aren’t, and in time that information is likely to be released to the public, but we are still able to make observations and understand some facts, given some information has been given.
@Themeparksandy1981 I agree. And standing up on Stormforce 10 is incredibly dangerous and should result in immediate ejection from the park. That to me carries far more risk than Splash Canyon did!
The consequences of Drayton could be far more serious than some here suspect, so if, when all the information does become available, we are not convinced they are at fault, then this must be taken to the supreme court. Let's forget indemnity insurance for now, I'm completely unaware of their audit fees/remunerations and if they would be enough to cover corporate manslaughter on any level.
Take a look at this if you haven't already:
https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/corporate-manslaughter

Within this, the sentencing is explained:
"A definitive sentencing guideline has been published by the Sentencing Council with effect from 1st February 2016. The level of sentence will depend on the size of the organisation. The sentence range is specified as £180,000 to £20 million. "

This goes back to what I mentioned a number of pages back, which is where culpability is scaled with the risk of harm (the risk of death in this instance is in Harm category 1, 2 and 3) for any offence related to health and safety

I do not believe Drayton have ever had a turnover of £10 million plus so I've narrowed it down to small and micro.
39122568_1926942337329025_7829243880414380032_n.jpg

Depending on how the judge interprets this, or chooses which category to go for, it could be very damaging to Drayton.
This is serious stuff.
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Actually turnover is nearer £26m for the group
 
I imagine any culpability will be more around whether manufacturers instructions where followed and whether staff training was robust and up-to-date rather than the design of the boats. If you look at the Smiler incident the big issues on corporate culpability where around running the ride at wind speeds higher than allowed by Gerst and the training and incentivised pressure on tech services and operators to get rides running again. Probably also a some issue around their emergency response plan

The fact a file has been sent to the CPS suggests there are some issues in the operation of the ride but it doesn’t mean they are going to prosecute.
 
They could still be fined by H&S. I think they will be told it wasn’t your fault she ignored signs and warnings which resulted in her ending up in the water but so it doesn’t happen again this is what needs to be done. They will do the same as Alton Towers add the rule no under 18’s allowed on the ride on there own and doors added to the boats.
 
I'm at the park today. The operations are good, I've managed to get on everything I planned to including G-Force.

Stormforce has broken down at least 3 times and that's just whilst I've been in the queue.

I will post more updates later when I get home.
 
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Drayton Manor as a company is making a killing. Like on Saturday was the 1st time I had been in the hotel as my m8 got married there.
There was 3 weddings there on Saturday and the hotel was fully booked then with the food and craft weekend last week I’m sure they made a lot of money last weekend.
I can’t find anything on the court case.
 
Themeparksandy1981 said:
Drayton Manor as a company is making a killing. Like on Saturday was the 1st time I had been in the hotel as my m8 got married there.
There was 3 weddings there on Saturday and the hotel was fully booked then with the food and craft weekend last week I’m sure they made a lot of money last weekend.
I can’t find anything on the court case.
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Just because they have alot going on does not mean they are making a killing and they are not. For the last financial year upto February 2017 the hotel made a pre tax loss of about £100k. The year before that, £180k. The year before that, £825k in pre tax losses. After tax it would be higher, as the tax man always comes for their piece of the pie through good times and bad. They also have a large shareholder deficit for the hotel to the tune of £1.5 million or so. Infact as of yet the hotel has not made a profit. This is expected though and the loss reduces year on year. However after last year and the death, progress might stall. This is Drayton Manor Park Hotels LTD a subsidiary of DMP LTD. Even DMP LTD only made a million or so in profit a year or two ago. They are not making anywhere near as much as you think. This is all taken from official Drayton Manor published accounts. So from the horses mouth. They are making money overall, but it's not huge not for a park. This is one reason why we have had no large multi million pound coaster for well over a decade. They simply can't afford one and I dont this they will for some time, especially if they get a large fine.

Storm Force 10 has had loads of downtime this year, apart from being short on mechanics I don't know why they have had such an issue this year with ride maintenance. Challenging times indeed.
 
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That's good to hear @Ciaran , do tell us what you think on the comfort difference of its new restraints, I'd be very interested to know that.
On your article you posted about the Splash Canyon incident, that article simply stated that the police themselves weren't pushing forward any charges, and have passed on a file to the CPS who are currently looking at it and will make the ultimate decision. Their recommendation was to look in to a potential case of corporate manslaughter, but even that is just a recommendation. It's all down to the CPS. My guess is that soon, we will know more definitive facts about what happened.

I certainly think Drayton have had a turbulent time recently. Big Wheel closing was perhaps for the best given it was expensive to operate in both staff and capital, and had a very reduced capacity, and in the age of drones, easily accesable photography from the internet, I don't believe observation from only 60 or 70 foot high is as valued as it was. Chairlift was also staff intensive, but I don't agree with them pulling it down at all. In fact, that chairlift was built in the 60s and was one of the oldest rides operating in the park, so rather like the Wild Mouse demolition; it was unnecessary and a piece of the places history. Pirate Adventure, which was an outstanding dark ride, is sitting there, not having ran for almost 4 years. And many of the rides were not maintained well and left in a state. However, recently, they thankfully have focused a lot more on the main park, refurbing, overhauling, rebranding, and painting up every single ride in the main park, and finally bringing back Tower 5. I know a lot of investment has occurred in the Zoo also. Thomas Land is now 10 years old and I think a time may come when they have pulled in as many guests as they possibly can, and that further investment may be unnecessary. I think soon they will shift their focus towards the main park; and maybe what has happened recently is a sign this is starting. The lack of investment "here and there" in new rides in the main park to me suggests Drayton are playing the long game, and want to pack a real punch with their next major investment. They could look at the success of Wickerman, and aim for a highly themed family roller coaster experience, which would fit very well in Drayton. It's a question of how long are they willing to budget for really.

One worrying prospect for the park is that if they do receive a large fine that their indemnity can't cover, it's really going to put a dent in future investments. New coaster, pirate adventure relaunching, splash canyon reopening, I think that all of these would unfortunately become a near impossibility. As I said, very worrying, and very damaging to a fantastic family theme park.
 
I really liked Drayton Manor as a park when I went earlier this month, so I hope that it thrives over the next couple of years! A new coaster would be fantastic for Drayton Manor within the next couple of years, if you ask me!

I also think that Thomas Land might possibly be one of the best decisions that Drayton ever made; even though Drayton does not have the marketing power of a company like Merlin at their disposal, Thomas has still pulled many a young family into the park over the years! I know of many families with young children who have gone to Drayton exclusively for Thomas Land, so they must have done something right! Thomas Land is also a lovely children's area, in my opinion; Drayton should be very proud of what they've accomplished with it!

Furthermore, would I be correct in saying that Thomas Land has changed Drayton's target audience? Because from what I can tell, Drayton was more thrill-orientated pre-Thomas, whereas now they seem to be making many more additions for the family thrill market (e.g. Accelerator), like the sort of audience that Chessington aims for.

One final thing; does anyone know how many visitors Drayton gets in an average season? I would personally guess around 1 million, but I could well be wrong!
P.S. Sorry for long post.
 
Matt N said:
Furthermore, would I be correct in saying that Thomas Land has changed Drayton's target audience? Because from what I can tell, Drayton was more thrill-orientated pre-Thomas, whereas now they seem to be making many more additions for the family thrill market (e.g. Accelerator), like the sort of audience that Chessington aims for.
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Yes, absolutely. They were relatively ahead of the curve in terms of IP investment in the UK, and Thomas Land was a knockout that far exceeded their expectations. They simply couldn't keep up with the thrill investments at Alton and Thorpe, so focused on Thomas Land, and then Cartoon Network land, or whatever it was called. The spend from young families is also traditionally much higher than young people and teenagers, hence the investment in the hotel, which was also a success.

Unfortunately, I think this has lead to the park being something of a mismatch in it's current form, and I reckon they would want to invest in a major coaster now, if they can find the finances.
 
Plastic Person said:
Yes, absolutely. They were relatively ahead of the curve in terms of IP investment in the UK, and Thomas Land was a knockout that far exceeded their expectations. They simply couldn't keep up with the thrill investments at Alton and Thorpe, so focused on Thomas Land, and then Cartoon Network land, or whatever it was called. The spend from young families is also traditionally much higher than young people and teenagers, hence the investment in the hotel, which was also a success.

Unfortunately, I think this has lead to the park being something of a mismatch in it's current form, and I reckon they would want to invest in a major coaster now, if they can find the finances.
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Ah right. Thanks @Plastic Person! So maybe we should expect any future coaster at Drayton Manor to be more of a family coaster like Accelerator!
 
Whenever that time comes, it’s certainly a possibility I’d say. It could be thrill though @Matt N . It depends on what they think will give them the maximum returns, and what is best for the image of the park in the eyes of guests. @Plastic Person is correct, there hasn't been a thrill coaster at the park for over 13 years now. They clearly have a market for thrillseekers (even if it is indeed smaller than the junior market), and obviously don't want to lose that market. The major issue is the upfront cost of thrill rides compared to the Zamperlas they can plop in their kids corner, which is the reason why they are, in my personal opinion, playing the long game. As I said, I'd take Pirate Adventure relaunching over a new coaster, because I want to give them as much time as possible to make the best out of a big and permanent investment. Basically, be patient folks. They can't afford what you are expecting of them, and need time, especially in the precarious situation they are in at the moment. If and when they can do so, they will, and there's a likelihood it could be a fantastic coaster.
Drayton are not stupid when it comes to making rides. Their investments were/have been just as innovative as Tussauds and major theme park operators around the world; Drayton has introduced outward facing Frisbees, standup drop towers, backwards drops on flumes, X car coasters, 2nd ever madhouse, 1st new generation vekoma, and yes Thomas Land itself. Not all of these innovations paid off, and some are now dismissed as gimmicks, but they were high risk high reward, and some of them certainly fell under the reward category. Yes, I accept that Shockwave may not have the best layout in the world, but it's not 'terrible', is purely focused on inversions, and it offers a very unusual experience and is very good ranked up against the other stand up coasters, which usually tend to be offer rather unpleasant experiences.... And did they go for Zamperla in Thomas Land for a coaster? No, they went for Gerstlauer, and produced one of the best junior coasters out there. They clearly are willing to make a good coaster with a great layout, it's just whether they are financially able to do so.

Edit: I have found a really nice picture from the 65th anniversary video of Drayton that gives an impressive aerial view of the park, taken in the year 2000. I wonder how the skyline would change if a coaster was added in that field to the right...

(I have edited the picture, as the originals contrast and sharpness was way off.)
39891733_1941942609162331_2832135721706323968_o.jpg
 
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I think as it’s been proven over the past 10 years they really focused on the young family market with the only thrill ride added was Air race.
The Aerial park (former Cartoon Network street) area has been updated a lot with all rides in the area been updated or repainted.
If the rapids do reopen next year I can see this and Shockwave getting refrub during the closed season
 
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