FUN for all the family has been promised with the launch of a £1million water ride at a top Wyre Forest attraction.

Wild River Rafting is the new amusement ride at West Midland Safari and Leisure Park and has opened in time for the school holidays.

The elevated ride, which holds 150,000 gallons of water, lasts two minutes and has taken three months to install.

Eight boats, each carrying four passengers, make their way around the water ride and the park says it provides thrill-seekers with plenty of opportunities for spins and splashes. Park chiefs decided to open Wild Water Rafting because of the success of its log fume, The Zambezi Water Splash, and predict it will prove to be just as popular.

Spokesman for the park, Wendy Jackson, said: "The first ride, The Zambezi Water Splash, is so enjoyable and so many people enjoy the ride, we decided to put another one in. It is a family ride.

"It is not just for teenagers, the whole family can enjoy it."

She added: "With the summer holidays coming, we are really expecting it to be a huge success."

Visitors will be able to dry themselves off after taking the plunge at the African Heat Wave - a large haystack drier in the park's leisure area - which can dry up to six adults and children.

Other attractions for summer visitors include the White Tiger Ridge, which houses a family of white tigers, and the Twilight Caves, which are home to a group of rare Rodrigues fruit bats.

The park is open from 10am, seven days a week, including bank holidays until November 4, 2005. The leisure area opens at 11am.