Brighton's i360 stuck: Tweets from the tower

Nearly 200 passengers were stranded for two hours on Brighton's newest seafront attraction on Thursday evening.

A "slight technical hitch" was blamed for leaving the British Airways i360 pod stuck in mid-air. Here's how the story unfolded on social media.

The i360, which only opened last month, promises to take passengers 450ft (137m) above the ground in a 360-degree pod.

It ground to a halt about 30ft (12m) off the ground at 17:00 BST.

On board were guests of four local businesses who had arranged an event to celebrate the tower's opening.

Financial advisor Tim Jones, one of the party organisers, tweeted: "I'm bloody on it and I can report we are trapped and I'm not chuffed!! #i360 #brighton".

Oliver McDonald, another financial adviser, was also not happy, tweeting: "Lovely 2 hours stuck 30ft up here this evening #i360 #britishairways #letdown".

Mr Jones said it "juddered to a halt and we were told by staff to move to one side of the pod to 'recalibrate the weight' - which made some people a bit nervous".

But all was not lost, as there was a free bar at the corporate event.

Managing director James Dempster reported that "free drinks were flowing freely!", while photographer Julia Claxton said: "Everyone just kept on partying like it was meant;-}".

British Airways stewardess Aimee Harman later told the BBC that free water and juice was offered to everyone on board.

She said guests were in "good spirits", and there was "a lot of networking and talking" while the pod was at a standstill.

Two fire engines were sent to the scene.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue said it was given assurances that specialist engineers following "pre-agreed procedures" were working on the problem.

While waiting to be rescued, those on board were able to enjoy the stunning sunset.

Shortly before the pod came back down to the ground, British Airways staff discovered there was a portable toilet on board, concealed under the floor.

It came complete with a pop-up tent to ensure privacy, but Aimee Harman said fortunately it was not needed.