A FAN favourite attraction at Adventure Island has been scrapped, with bosses at the theme park citing environmental concerns.

The Formula Al go-karts, which have long been a feature of the seaside attraction, have been discontinued, Adventure Island announced on social media earlier this week.

Adventure Island has since confirmed that the go-karts have been removed over fears they were “environmentally unfriendly” – using large quantities of petrol to be run.

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Theme park bosses say the track was also taking up a large portion of the park and has hinted to fans that new exciting attractions will its place.

A Facebook post announcing the end of go-karting at Adventure Island was met with surprise by fans, with many commenting to express their disappointment at losing a much-loved attraction.

One fan asked: “Why are they getting removed? My daughter loved them, and they seemed so popular…”

Another said: “Gutted! These are gone my son’s favourite part of adventure island.”

But not everyone was upset, with one park-goer accepting the move. She said: “As sad as it is to see these go, I was very aware on my last visit of the fumes of the old petrol engines particularly in the picnic area.”

Southend councillor Kevin Buck, who has long campaigned to reduce the use of petrol vehicles across the borough, welcomed the move.

He said: “Adventured Island should be commended for being very environmentally conscious in their activities and practices.

“I know CEO Philip Miller and the team are very focused on the environment down at Adventure Island and this move proves their dedication to the cause.”

He added:“As an environmental advocate myself, who has ditched petrol in favour of an electric car, I am very pleased to see Southend businesses also taking another look at their petrol usage.”

A spokesman for Adventure Island said: “We are always looking to improve our park and the go Karts were pretty environmentally un- friendly with the amount of petrol they used, apart from that they took up a very large portion of Adventure Island West which has now allowed us to add new attractions such as the Screacher. 
“Regarding further developments, watch this space.”