Water World splashes out on multimillion-pound extension

The £10m-plus expansion of Waterworld in Stoke-on-Trent is starting to take shape.

Steelwork is being erected for the shell of a three-storey extension which will tower over the existing festival park complex, plus a separate tower to house some of the largest water slides of their kind in Europe.

It is part of a major upgrade of the leisure attraction as it begins a series of celebrations to mark its 30th anniversary year.

Millionaire businessman Mo Chaudry has been masterminding the growth of Waterworld since 1999, when he took over the previously loss-making operation from The Rank Group and turned it into a profitable business.

Waterworld alone now attracts more than 350,000 visitors a year, but the expansion is expected to push the leisure site’s footfall over the one million mark.

When the 75,000 sq ft expansion is complete, the Waterworld complex will unveil a host of new features, including four new water rides, a spa and fitness facility and a water-themed mini golf attraction.

It is hoped that the new water rides will open in time for the May half term break, with the golf attraction due to launch in October.

Chaudry said: “It’s going to be a very special year for Waterworld, as we look back over three amazing decades to remind us of the incredible journey we have been on – while also investing heavily to ensure a bright and even more exciting future.

“Waterworld is already one of the largest leisure attractions of its kind, but you don’t get anywhere by standing still; you always have to be thinking of the next big innovation.

“The new rides are something really special. The tallest of them will be fully four metres higher than anything we have had here before, which is why we are having to raise the roof.

“In the current climate, people need to experience something which is going to be extra special, and even more memorable, if they are to part with their hard-earned cash – and that’s what we are committed to offering.”