The Big Dipper, one of the world's oldest rollercoasters at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, was brought to a stop at around 2pm on July 23 after fears it was about to derail. Thrill seekers were forced to evacuate the ride.
Evacuation and Investigation
A spokesperson from Pleasure Beach Resort told LancsLive: “The Big Dipper came to a stop Thursday July 23, around 2pm, at a very low point in the ride. Following this, a manual deboarding took place with guests guided safely by trained operators. All riders were checked by first aid trained staff, with no injuries reported. An internal investigation is taking place to determine the root cause.”
Footage on social media appeared to show broken wooden slats between the rails, with comments claiming a derailment had occurred. However, the resort clarified that the carriages came to a halt rather than coming off the ride. They did not address claims of damage to the track, and it is unclear how long the ride will remain closed.
Public Reaction
Many people took to social media to comment on the incident. One person wrote: "We were there on Monday and they were putting in new planks in which the track sits on just at the bottom on the drop." Another said: "The back carriages have always been rough and feel like it flips a bit in some parts." A further comment read: "Was on the ride on Saturday and was a little rough but nothing out of the ordinary if anything the Grand National was worse, genuinely thought at times the train might 'jump the track' but got back to the station with no issues, hope this gets sorted." Another person added: "They’ve spent a lot of time working on that lately and it’s not long opened. Hopefully they can sort it but who knows how long Big Dipper has left."
Meanwhile, Blackpool Pleasure Beach has been ranked as the top UK destination on a global list for places to keep children entertained on holiday by Attraction Tickets, coming sixth internationally behind Disney and Universal.
