Twenty-seven people have been rescued after becoming stranded high above the ground when a rollercoaster stopped during operation at Pleasurewood Hills theme park in Suffolk.
Emergency services were called to the park in Lowestoft shortly after 1.20pm on Bank Holiday Monday, 31 August.
The passengers were riding Wipeout, the park’s flagship rollercoaster, when the train came to a stop on the track approximately 15 metres, or around 50 feet, above the ground.
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that the passengers were not hanging upside down.
Fire crews from Ipswich East, Ixworth and Lowestoft South were sent to the scene as a specialist rescue operation began.
Advanced rescue-at-height equipment was used to reach the stranded passengers.
Firefighters ultimately used an aerial ladder and a scissor lift to bring all 27 people safely back to the ground.
The rescue operation took almost three hours.
No injuries have been reported following the incident.
Wipeout is one of Pleasurewood Hills’ best-known attractions and is described by the park as the biggest rollercoaster in East Anglia.
The ride stands more than 130 feet tall and is the only remaining Vekoma Boomerang rollercoaster operating in the UK.
It sends riders forwards through a series of loops and inversions before travelling backwards through the same section of track.
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The ride underwent a major £1 million transformation during the winter of 2024 and 2025, including the introduction of a new train.
Pleasurewood Hills’ website currently states that Wipeout is temporarily unavailable due to unforeseen circumstances.
The park has not publicly confirmed what caused the rollercoaster to stop.
There is therefore no indication at this stage whether the incident involved a mechanical fault, safety system activation or another issue.
The safe evacuation means the incident ended without the serious injuries that can sometimes accompany high-level ride rescues.
The timing also attracted additional attention because the incident happened on Bank Holiday Monday, traditionally one of the busiest days of the summer for UK visitor attractions.
Emergency crews remained focused on safely removing passengers rather than attempting to restart the ride while people were still onboard.
Further information may be released by Pleasurewood Hills or the relevant authorities once the circumstances surrounding the stoppage have been examined.
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Sources
ITV News Anglia – Dozens of Rollercoaster Riders Stuck in Air at Pleasurewood Hills
