'Full investigation' into pleasure ride rescue

About 25 people were stuck on the ride for between two and three hours

A Skegness amusement park had said it will be "conducting a full investigation" after about 25 passengers became stuck on a ride.

Emergency services were called to Bottons Pleasure Beach just after 15:30 BST on Tuesday, after a ride "experienced a malfunction".

Nobody was injured in the incident and all passengers were rescued by Lincolnshire Fire Service, which declared it a major incident.

In a statement on social media, James Botton, managing director of the amusement park, thanked emergency services and said they would be investigating "the cause of the incident".

He said: "We are pleased to report that all riders were safely rescued, thanks to the swift and co-ordinated efforts of our dedicated staff and the emergency services."

He added that Bottons wanted to "extend our sincere gratitude to all the emergency services personnel who responded promptly and worked alongside our team to ensure the safety of everyone involved".

"The safety and well-being of our visitors is our top priority, and we are conducting a full investigation into the cause of the incident," he continued.

Declaring a major incident meant Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue could bring in resources from other emergency services.

Spencer Creek, of Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, said they declared a major incident "to ensure we were able to get the right resources there", including police and ambulances.

He said that not only were the services there to support the people on the ride, but also the "family members on the ground as well", who helped to keep their loved ones calm.

The operation was not completely straightforward, as officers were advised by the amusement park team they needed to take each passenger down in a "balanced way" to ensure the ride was safe during the rescue.

According to Mr Creek, the fire service carries out regular training exercises at the amusement park, so they knew where to park their engines and how to best proceed.

Mr Creek said the fire service would not be investigating the incident, but said Bottons would link with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to "understand what happened and address any concerns and issues."

An HSE spokesperson said they were "aware of the incident" and would be "making enquiries".

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