The Legoland Windsor Resort in Berkshire. Merlin Entertainments, its owner, said a potential prolonged closure of its attractions meant there was uncertainty about the company’s ability to continue

The owner of Alton Towers and Madame Tussauds is tapping government rescue schemes only months after it was taken private in a deal that saddled it with billions of pounds of fresh debt.

Merlin Entertainments said that the potential for a prolonged closure of its attractions because of the crisis could cast “material uncertainty” over its ability to continue as a going concern.

The warning in Merlin’s annual report came as the company tapped bond investors for €500 million to bolster its finances and confirmed that it was accessing government schemes designed to keep businesses afloat.

Merlin was listed in London until last November, when it was taken private in a £6 billion deal by a consortium of the billionaire Danish family that founded Lego,