Deer killed instantly after being hit by Lightwater Valley rollercoaster when it strayed too close to the tracks

Passengers were left with blood on their clothes following the incident

A deer was killed instantly after straying too close to the tracks of The Ultimate rollercoaster at Lightwater Valley (Creative Commons)

Rollercoaster passengers were left horrified when a young deer was killed instantly after straying too close to the tracks.

A number of passengers on the ride were left with blood on their clothes following the incident at Lightwater Valley, near Ripon, North Yorkshire.

The deer had managed to make its way past a perimeter fence surrounding the theme park before getting too close to the tracks of The Ultimate rollercoaster.

No passengers were injured in the incident on Saturday although the 1.5 mile ride had to be closed for half an hour while checks were carried out.

A Lightwater Valley spokesman told The Independent: "Yes we can confirm a young deer did unfortunately get hit by the Ultimate train on Saturday and was killed instantly.

"There is a large perimeter fence surrounding the theme park but occasionally wild animals do manage to stray onto the park during the night.

"After the incident the Ultimate was closed for 30 minutes whilst the ride was thoroughly checked and then normal operation resumed.

"A couple of visitors on the train did have spots of blood on their clothing, but no visitors commented about the incident on the day other than to show concern for the deer.

"No passengers were injured in the incident."