Pleasurewood Hills: 27 rescued from rollercoaster stuck 15m in the air

Firefighters faced a tricky rescue

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said it was alerted at 1.36pm BST on Bank Holiday Monday, with crews sent to the ride to help those stranded onboard.

An eyewitness said what appeared to be a power cut had affected several rides across the park, while footage showed the rollercoaster carriages left stationary around 15 metres (49ft) above the ground. Firefighters eventually managed to bring all 27 passengers to safety.

How the Pleasurewood Hills rescue unfolded

One visitor, Richard Lines from Wymondham in Norfolk, was nearby with his two children when he noticed a member of staff checking on the stranded rollercoaster. The carriages briefly started moving again before slowly rocking back and forth and coming to a stop once more.

With passengers still stuck high above the park, firefighters brought in an aerial ladder and began getting them down individually. Lines said he felt particularly sorry for those sitting at the front and back of the ride, who had been left there for around three hours.

By 5.10pm, all 27 passengers had been brought safely back to the ground, with nobody reported to have been injured.

Pleasurewood Hills later praised the riders for how calmly they dealt with the situation and thanked families for their patience. The park acknowledged that being trapped on a ride was “not something anyone expects” when visiting.It rounds off a bank holiday that already brought thunderstorm warnings covering 70 areas, after a stretch in which 100 firefighters battled 50 tonnes of burning waste in Bermondsey.