Alton Towers' SW8: New images showcase 'secret' rollercoaster at theme park

Well, the wait is nearly over for thrillseekers after pictures emerged showing building work taking shape for the new attraction.

The wooden rollercoaster, code named 'Secret Weapon 8' or SW8, is a move away from many steel rides at theme parks today.

But officials believe people will be carried along with the theatrics of the ride when it officially opens next March.

It has been rumoured that the ride could be themed on the 1970s horror film The Wicker Man.

Yet this is being kept firmly under wraps by park bosses until the grand unveiling in five months time.

It has been shrouded in secrecy with large covers draped over the ride's six-storey centrepiece.

Forty shipping containers of timber have been sourced by construction staff building the ride.

Work started on the rollercoaster around two years ago on the site of the old flume ride in the centre of Alton Towers.

It had been a favourite at the theme park for 34 years with Princess Diana and a young Prince William and Harry among the riders.

The wooden swirls of the ride are being created with 50,000 tons of earth moved with more than 100 workers on site.

They have created 40 concrete blocks which have been positioned to make the ride's foundations.

Officials say it will be tested 500 times before it opens next year.

A spokesman said: "The wooden rollercoaster itself is just one small part of the experience.

"Once you are in there, and you are going through the theatrical experience, you're hearing the story, you'll completely forget about that.

"And this is one of the most compelling themed attractions that we have built in a very long time."

*Footage from ITV Central