Adventure Island has been named the UK’s best value theme park in a new ranking published by gambling site VIP Grinders, boasting a score of 65 out of 100 for its ticket prices, review score, and ride selection.

The Southend attraction ranked almost five percentage points above Tenby’s Dinosaur Park in second place and Paultons Park in third, with larger attractions such as Alton Towersalso hitting the top rankings in fifth position.

“It is interesting to see that the best value theme parks aren’t necessarily the most well-known,” said Telma Casaca, head of publishing at VIP Grinders. “The data clearly indicates that parks which offer an excellent combination of affordable pricing and many rides are better value compared to those with fewer rides and higher prices.”

“Most well-known parks like Thorpe Park and Legoland Discovery Centre rank relatively poorly in overall value. This suggests that visitors may be paying a premium for the brand name rather than the actual experience, and as a result, are disappointed with the overall experience.”

The study analysed data from 47 theme parks across 11 criteria, including Day Ticket price, Google rating, and how often TripAdvisor reviews contained words such as “bargain, cheap and deal.”