The famous Nemesis ride at UK theme park, Alton Towers, has closed for a major revamp.

The steel rollercoaster, designed by Bolliger & Mabillard first opened in 1994 and has since become one of the park's most popular rides.

Costing £10m to build at the time, the ride was the first inverted rollercoaster in Europe – with train carriages running under the tracks rather than on top of them.

Standing at 13 metres (42.7 ft) tall, the 716-metre-long (2,349 ft) ride features a top speed of 81 km/h (50 mph).

Following a year-long, "exciting transformation", the ride is set to reopen in 2024, in time to celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Details of the refurbishment are being kept a close-guarded secret by Merlin Entertainments – which owns and operates Alton Towers – but a special webpage will offer regular updates.

Hundreds of rollercoaster fans visited Alton Towers on its last day of operation, hoping to be among the last riders before it closed.

Kate McBirnie, head of guest excellence at the Alton Towers Resort, said: “It was wonderful so many people came for Nemesis’s big send-off.

“The legendary rollercoaster has been thrilling fans and visitors since 1994 so it’s understandable so many wanted to take one final ride before it undergoes its exciting revamp.

"We can’t reveal too much at the moment but more details will be revealed ahead of its spectacular return in 2024.”