Bosses at the Castle Hill attraction are celebrating after locals came out in support of the zoo and bought up almost one thousand annual passes in just over five hours.

950 'Four Seasons' passes were made available at a discounted rate to celebrate the 950th anniversary of Dudley Castle. The online only deal was put live on the Dudley Zoo website at 8am this morning and, by lunchtime, had completely sold out. Rachel Hickman, Media and Communication Officer at Dudley Zoo and Castle, said:

"We launched 950 Four Seasons passes this morning at a heavily discounted price and we can't believe how popular they were! Unprecedented demand resulted in our website crashing and zoo staff manning phone lines as we dealt with hundreds of calls!

"Within five hours all of the tickets had sold out. We apologise for the technical difficulties but we’ve been delighted with the response and look forward to welcoming our new pass holders to the zoo throughout 2020!"

The Zoo is marking the landmark anniversary by re-adopting its former name - Dudley Zoo and Castle - a name last used almost two decades ago. The brand will progressively change across the site to keep costs down but can already be seen online.

Visitors who weren't lucky enough to secure a pass at the discounted rate can purchase memberships online, with benefits including unlimited entry to both the Zoo and Castle for one year and exclusive invitations to member-only tours and events.

Individual tickets to visit can be bought through the website at dudleyzoo.org.uk.