Battersea Park funfair disaster: Plans being drawn up for memorial

Plans for a memorial to commemorate the Battersea Park funfair disaster "are being drawn", Wandsworth Council said.

Monday will mark 50 years since five children were killed and 13 others injured when the fair's Big Dipper rollercoaster came off its tracks.

A tree will be planted on the 50th anniversary and is a prelude to a more permanent memorial, the council said.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said it was important to "educate" Londoners about what happened.

The accident happened on 30 May 1972 when the Big Dipper's cars broke free from the rope which was pulling them, causing them to roll backwards at speed and crash through a wooden barrier.

The ride was subsequently dismantled and the funfair closed two years after the tragedy.

No memorial has ever been installed and the site where it was based is no longer accessible to the public.

The memorial tree is to be planted near the park's peace pagoda

Hilary Wynter, who survived the accident, recently told BBC London that survivors and bereaved families were "upset" about the lack of memorial.

On Thursday, London's mayor said he would contact Wandsworth Council leader Simon Hogg to stress the importance of keeping the tragedy in the "public eye".

"[A memorial] serves a number of purposes," Mr Khan told BBC Radio London.

"I know from other memorials I've been involved in, it's a place you can go to reflect, to think, to spend time with others to commemorate this awful tragedy, but also it's a reminder of the importance of health and safety, to make sure we get things right."

Mr Hogg confirmed that the council was working on plans to remember the disaster.

"The tragic events of 50 years ago should not be overlooked or forgotten," he said.

"I am pleased that plans are being drawn up to ensure it is remembered in Battersea Park... so that the families of those involved will have the memorial they have campaigned for."