Blackpool Pleasure Beach challenge assertion as Big Dipper closed after ‘derailed’ rumours
The Pleasure Beach Resort in Blackpool has issued a statement after social media posts claimed its iconic Big Dipper rollercoaster had allegedly derailed during the school holidays
Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s Big Dipper rollercoaster is closed after it came to a ‘stop’ yesterday (file)(Image: Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
An iconic UK rollercoaster is currently closed today (July 24) after a post on social media claimed the Blackpool ride had “derailed”. The Big Dipper, one the the oldest rollercoaster’s in the world, at the Pleasure Beach Resort in Blackpool came to a “stop” at around 2pm yesterday (July 23).
Originally believed to be shared on TikTok before shared on other social media platforms, the videos appeared to show broken wooden slats in between the rails. The footage then saw speculation spiral into rumours the rollercoaster had derailed.
Pleasure Beach Resort has since confirmed the closure of the ride while an investigation takes place.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach has issued a statement following social media rumours (file)(Image: Getty Images)
The footage was shared across social media with the originally poster commenting: “As we were going down the track split slightly sending the last cart sideways as you can see in the video.”
The user posted multiple comments after claiming the ride “slowed down and we all went backwards”, among other comments.
Pleasure Beach Resort confirmed the incident yesterday but did not state that the Big Dipper had derailed, but that the world famous ride has simply come to a sudden stop.
No one was injured in the incident and all guests were manually removed from the ride. A spokesperson for theme park said the stoppage happened a a “very low point” in the ride’s journey.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach is one of the UK’s most popular theme parks (file)(Image: Blackpool Pleasure Beach)
A spokesperson from Pleasure Beach Resort said: “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.”
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