Seafront Ferris wheel to stay until 2027

The observation wheel has 36 capsules which each have space for six people

A 50m-high (164ft) seafront Ferris wheel that allows people to see along the Norfolk coastline will remain for a further two years.

The attraction, which is about one third of the size of the London Eye, has been on Great Yarmouth's Golden Mile since 2021 and was only meant to be temporary.

The extension was granted by Great Yarmouth Borough Council on Wednesday and the big wheel will remain at the seafront until February 2027.

Asa Morrison, chief executive of Visit Great Yarmouth, said: "The seafront is forever changing, ever reinventing itself, ever moving... it [the Ferris wheel] can compliment all the other assets we've got."

The attraction is currently going through a "winterisation" period, but it usually allows visitors to see as far north as Hemsby and Winterton, south to Gorleston and Lowestoft in Suffolk, and inland across part of The Broads.

Mr Morrison said it can also be seen by people driving into Yarmouth along the Acle Straight road.

"It dominates the seafront in terms of something rather unique and something rather special... the views are striking," he said.

"One of the beauties of Great Yarmouth is because we're not particularly mountainous, your views are uninterrupted."

The wheel was originally erected on council-owned South Beach Gardens at "no cost" to the local authority and was hired from a private company.