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It’s humbling and a genuine pleasure to see the love for Big Top - but believe me, there is no announcement coming, no surprise return. And trust me - the park know just how much of a following the maze has and how much everybody wants to see it return. They just can’t deliver it anymore.

Not strictly a Merlin thing, but I have a point. With the extreme heat all around Europe, parks have added extra effects to some of their water rides to make them extra wet. Examples: Constant water jets on Hellendoorn's (Netherlands) rapids Constant hose pipe pointed at the course on Walibi Holland's splash battle Waterfall effect which normally turns off remains on on Toverland's rapids. And plenty of parks are happily allow staff to spray staff with water guns / pipes on water rides. And of course, plenty of modern water rides have been built so that their splashes can be adjusted according to the weather, meaning that parks can have them on maximum wetness. It's a shame that Merlin parks / the wider UK industry don't do these things. Yes, there's the safety fears and such, but it feels stifling. And, more generally, UK parks are way behind on the water ride front. When was the last time a UK park added a new water ride? Aside from a couple of very small travelling log flumes at small parks, it's probably Storm Surge in 2011? It's crazy. Sure, the hot weather is not the norm, but the parks aren't in a position to cope when it does arrive. And modern water rides can be modified for all weather conditions. It's a shame.