Lowestoft rollercoaster beaks down with 27 people being rescued

Firefighters have rescued 27 people who were stuck on a rollercoaster for up to three hours.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to the Wipeout ride at Pleasurewood Hills in Lowestoft at 13:36 BST.

An eyewitness described what appeared to be a power cut affecting multiple rides at the attraction, and video footage showed the moment the carriages came to a stop about 15m (49ft) in the air.

Pleasurewood Hills said it was "incredibly grateful for the way [the riders] handled" the situation and to their families for their "understanding and patience".

"We appreciate that being stuck on a ride is not something anyone expects when visiting us."

Park visitor Richard Lines said he was on another ride close to Wipeout, when a power cut appeared to affect multiple rides.

Lines said he saw a worker subsequently tending to the ride, which was stationary, and this moment can be seen in video footage shared with the BBC.

The carriages then begin moving again, but within seconds, they can be seen slowly rolling back and forth, before coming to a standstill.

Lines said the fire service used an aerial ladder to free the passengers one-by-one.

"You feel sorry for the ones that were either at the front or the back who were up there for a good three hours - which is a long time," said Lines, from Wymondham in Norfolk, who was visiting with his two children.

The fire service said by 17:10 they had rescued all 27 passengers and that no-one was injured.

Bank Holiday Monday is the last day of the summer season for the theme park, which extended the day's opening hours to reflect this.

Wipeout was launched as a park ride in 2007 and was then described as "the tallest, fastest and most extreme ride in East Anglia".

It underwent a £1m transformation over the winter of 2024-2025, the website says, including a new train with waist restraint lap bars for improved comfort and safety.

A man was rescued from the ride in 2017 after it broke down.

Pleasurewood Hills also said the "safety and wellbeing of our guests is always our highest priority".

They "sincerely apologised" to the visitors affected, and said they would receive complimentary tickets as compensation.

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