ABOUT 100 extra jobs are likely to be created at a North Yorkshire theme park by the arrival of one of the latest white-knuckle rides. Bosses at Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo, near Malton, are keeping their fingers crossed that Ryedale councillors will give them the go-ahead to bring the £1.5 million ride - the first of its kind in the world - from Germany where it is being built.

The ride and the subsequent visitors it will attract means that the theme park will need more seasonal staff when it re-opens in April. This will take the number of staff the park employs every year to 500.

Marketing manager Melanie Gibb said the park was expecting more than 50,000 more visitors this year, which will boost its yearly attendance figures to well over one and a quarter million people.

"It will be an amazing ride - we're expecting to attract people from as far as Manchester and Lancashire who will want to test it out," she said.

The ride will involve up to 32 passengers sitting in seats set in a circle, which will be lifted via a pole before being plunged into a terrifying fall.

The new ride - yet to be named - is among a selection of new attractions this year for the park: a group of 25 penguins have been added to the existing range of 180 different rare and endangered species; and a new educational museum is being built. Inside, children will have the opportunity to look at displays relating to animals at the zoo.

The park's popular white-knuckle ride, The Bullet, has also been re-painted and vital mechanics updated.Councillors at Ryedale District Council were meeting tonight to discuss planning permission for the new ride.

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