Plans mooted for Alton Towers to open year-round

Alton Towers could open throughout the year under plans to boost tourism.

The theme park brings in a third of the 5.6 million annual visitors to the Staffordshire Moorlands, the district council said, but currently closes over winter.

It said it would work with Alton Towers on a 10-year plan that it said could generate hundreds of new jobs.

The proposal is part of a tourism strategy which aims to make the Staffordshire Moorlands into a stronger visitor destination over the next five years, BBC News reported.

About 6,000 people work in the tourism industry and visitors spend about £335m annually in the area, a report for the local authority said.

A report said the strategy for Alton Towers opening throughout the year would need private-sector investment to be unlocked and the support of local communities.