Alton Towers vision to bring 700 jobs.

Byline: Justine Halifax

JOBS are set to soar after a Staffordshire theme park unveiled ambitious multi-million-pound plans to create new rides.

Bosses at Alton Towers, in north Staffordshire, are to plough hundreds of thousands of pounds into building ten new rides at the tourist attraction, bringing with it 700 jobs.

The move by the attraction's parent company, Merlin Entertainments, is also predicted to boost the local economy by a staggering pounds 12 million a year.

Merlin's divisional manager Ian Crabbe, said: "Over the next ten years we hope that sustained growth will provide job security for an extra 735 staff, as we add to the park."

Mark Kerrigan, head of development at Alton Towers, said: "It's a visionary plan.

"If we were to realise that scale of vision it would add a significant number of jobs and in the local area that is extremely important.

"We recruit 85 per cent of our workforce from either Staffordshire Moorlands or Stoke-onTrent."

The plans have been welcomed by UK Independence Party MEP Mike Nattrass, who is a member of the tourism committee at the European Parliament.

The latest news comes hot on the heels of a recent decision by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council to approve a new rollercoaster ride to replace the old Corkscrew attraction.