Blackpool thrillseekers have to walk down Pleasure Beach’s ‘Big One’ rollercoaster after it stopped mid-ride for the second time in just two weeks
Thrillseekers at Blackpool Pleasure Beach had to take a terrifying walk down the rollercoaster after it stopped mid-ride for a second time in two weeks.
Visitors to the seaside resort reported the Big One, formerly known as the Pepsi Max Big One, stopped suddenly just after 3pm this afternoon.
Those on the rollercoaster, which peaks at 235ft, were seen having to be led down a huge flight of steps to safely get off the ride.
A spokesperson for Blackpool Pleasure Beach said: ‘The Big One rollercoaster stopped today (Sunday 23rd April) just before 3pm just over halfway up the lift hill.
‘There was a minor technical problem and the safety system on the ride worked exactly as it should and immediately stopped the train on the lift as a precaution.
Visitors to the seaside resort reported the Big One, formerly known as the Pepsi Max Big One, stopped suddenly just after 3pm this afternoon
Those on the rollercoaster, which peaks at 235ft, were seen having to be led down a huge flight of steps to safely get off the ride
‘Trained staff walked all riders safely down a set of stairs to the ground within 30 minutes.’
Cammy, who asked to just be referred to by his first name, had just finished visiting the theme park when he noticed the ride had been stopped.
‘It was only just after 3pm that we saw it had stuck,’ he told the Manchester Evening News. ‘It was one carriage on the tracks and we could see people walking down off the ride
‘We’ve already been to the Pleasure Beach, thankfully. My partner and her little sister went on the Big One earlier in the day.’
Earlier this month, the iconic ride ground to a halt on the lift hill during bad weather.
At the time, on April 11, staff asked passengers on the ride to walk all the way back down to the ground while being guided, with the ride having to remain closed for the rest of the day.
A spokesperson for Blackpool Pleasure Beach said at the time: ‘At 2.50pm on Tuesday 11th April, Blackpool Pleasure Beach stopped the Big One train on the ride’s lift hill due to sudden changes in weather conditions.
‘Guests on the ride were reassured and escorted from the ride by Blackpool Pleasure Beach staff.
A bystander took a picture of the Big One (pictured) when it stopped just seconds before it reached the summit of its first terrifying drop on April 11
‘Due to high gusts of wind the Big One rollercoaster closed for the remainder of the day.’
The event occurred one day before Storm Noa, which caused chaos in Britain with 96mph winds that saw a woman being injured by flying scaffolding, pilots struggling to land at Heathrow and huge waves smashing into UK coasts.
The Big One, which has a maximum speed of 85mph and lasts three minutes, opened to the public in 1994.
Adrenaline junkies have been stranded at the highest point of the Big One before, like in 2021, when the ride broke down and staff had to guide nervous visitors to safety.