A Crown Court has ruled that Alton Towers must limit its noise levels following a successful complaint by a couple who live next door to the theme park.

Stephen and Suzanne Roper have lived in the hamlet of Farley, Staffordshire, since 1969. They claimed that, although noise levels have been constant ever since the opening of the park, the addition of the Oblivion rollercoaster ride, in 1998, had made their lives a “miserable” experience.

The views of the Ropers were vindicated by Judge Timothy Gascoigne, who visited the couple’s home and ruled that the theme park had violated the Environmental Protection Act of 1990.

The couple are now eligible to seek thousands of pounds in compensation.

An Alton Towers spokesperson said that the park was disappointed with the decision but would look to work towards a compromise solution acceptable to all parties.

She said: “We are a theme park and it is inevitable that there will be some noise associated with our business. We do not believe that this decision is representative of the feelings of the majority of local residents.

“We have been operating successfully on our current site for more than 20 years and have developed the park with full co-operation of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council.”

The £12m Oblivion ride, designed by Swiss-based coaster manufacturer, Bolliger & Mabillard, was the world’s first vertical rollercoaster and reaches top speeds of around 70mph.

Alton Towers directly employs around 2,000 local people, but claims to support more than 3,700 jobs in the area. It attracts around £100m of spending in the region each year.