'I went to Alton Towers to see if a size 22 could fit on the rides'

It's a well-known fact that being short can scupper a day of fun at the theme park. Signs displaying a 'you must be this tall to ride' warning are easy to spot at the entrances of the most exhilarating rollercoasters at Alton Towers.

But what about people that may be too big to ride? BirminghamLive reporter Kirsty Bosley, who is a UK size 22, says people who may be too large to ride don't get to test it out beforehand - they have no choice but to queue up and give it a whirl.

That, however, can be mortifying if there are people waiting to ride watching on while you struggle to take your seat. And that's exactly what happened to Kirsty during a trip to the Staffordshire theme park over the summer. "Sitting my size 22 bum down into Spinball Whizzer, the barrier was pushed down to secure me... Click. And then, it didn't go any further," she said.

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"The staff member was kind as she applied a little force to click my harness once more, explaining that one wasn't enough. People started to look around to see what was holding the ride up and I felt my heart sink. Finally, another member of staff came along and tried one last time, clicking me in and letting the ride go."

Kirsty said the situation left her feeling "humiliated" and she actively avoided going on any rides that would see her strapped in for the rest of her trip. Fast forward a few weeks and Kirsty was back at Alton Towers to check out the park's annual Halloween event - and this time she was feeling brave.

She decided she was going to try and get on every single one of the park's biggest rides to see whether she could fit in the seats. While discovering that some rollercoasters