Shoppers were given a fright yesterday when it appeared they were only inches away from plummeting down a lift shaft.

But much to their relief they soon discovered it was an illusion set up by Alton Towers Resort who were testing out their latest ride in Wandsworth's Southside Shopping Centre, Swandon Way.

The experiment was set-up to test the British public's levels of fear in preparation for the launch of the theme-parks new ride Nemesis Sub-Terra.

Surprised shoppers were fooled by a 3D illusion on the floor of the lift, which tricked users into thinking they were stepping onto a bottomless lift shaft.

One shopper said: "A deep, dark lift shaft is not what you expect to see on your average trip to the shops.

"It gave me a bit of a fright, but I quickly realised the joke was on me. I then had a laugh watching other people's reactions as they walked past."

Katherine Duckworth, head of consumer marketing at Alton Towers Resort, said: "Nemesis Sub-Terra is by far the most terrifying of our attractions to date and we really wanted to test the limits of the British public to see if they could cope with what it has in store.

"When creating the illusion inside the lift we considered some our most common fears including heights, darkness and claustrophobia that are also a core part of the new attraction."

Nemesis Sub-Terra is set to open at the theme-park in Stoke-on-Trent on March 24.