According to owners Venture World, the park will close and the leasehold on the property will revert to Derbyshire County Council.

A spokesperson said: "American Adventure Theme Park states that it has invested considerably in trying to make the park a commercial success but a fall in attendances which has been experienced across the UK theme park market has proved impossible to overcome."

The 390-acre park had announced a series of job cuts in November 2006, but at the time insisted the park would not be closing.

Ventureworld admitted that it had recently suffered from “difficult trading conditions”.

The park was opened as Britannia Park in June 1985 but closed soon after as it failed to attract the crowds. Granada then bought the company and reopened the park, under the name The American Adventure, in June 1987.

Ventureworld took over the park in 1997 and two years ago decided to close the white knuckle rides and concentrate its efforts into making American Adventure a more child-oriented park. Details: www.americanadventure.co.uk