Chessington World of Adventures was evacuated on Sunday, 8 November, after receiving a threat that Metropolitan Police officers subsequently assessed as not credible. The south-west London attraction remained closed for the day, with visitors offered entry to other Merlin attractions, including Legoland Windsor.

Operator Merlin Entertainments said it had closed the resort as a precaution and implemented its safety procedures in close co-ordination with police. It later confirmed that the incident had been resolved.

The Metropolitan Police said the threat had been made that morning. A spokesman said: “The matter has been assessed, and no security issues have been identified. This is believed to be an isolated incident with no wider risk to the public.”

Eyewitnesses reported police and paramedics at the entrance to the park, which is in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. Visitors described being refused admission while those already inside were asked to leave.

Football coach Lewis Harrington said on X that he had arrived only to be turned away. He reported that everyone had been evacuated and that staff had not explained the reason for the closure. His account reflected the uncertainty facing visitors before the public explanation; police later said their assessment had identified no security issues.

Park management advised guests due to visit that day that their tickets would be accepted at Legoland Windsor, or that they could contact customer services after 2pm. Merlin apologised for the disruption and thanked visitors for their patience and staff for their response.

Industry figures put the resort’s annual attendance at 1.5 million. It had also closed during August’s heatwave because of a local water outage.

Merlin said the on-site hotel would reopen on Monday, 9 November, while the resort would reopen as planned on Saturday, 14 November.