TERRIFIED FAMILIES WERE LEFT STRANDED IN A ROCKING CARRIAGE AT THE TOP OF A BIG WHEEL WHEN HIGH WINDS BROUGHT THE RIDE TO A HALT
Ordeal: Helen Bunker was stuck on the Edinburgh big wheel
Families
were stuck at the top of a ferris wheel for more than half an hour
after the high winds forced operators to shut down the ride because it
was unsafe.
The
terrified customers had to sit in a carriage which was rocking back and
forth in the storm, and had no idea how long they would be stuck there.
The
incident took place on Saturday evening at the Underbelly big wheel in
the centre of Edinburgh after the weather triggered an automatic 'safety
alert'.
Helen
Bunker, 36, who was stranded with her children Florence, six, and
seven-year-old Darcey, said: 'They couldn't tell us anything. Inside the
carriage there's no way of communicating with the operators below -
there's no button to press.
'We
dressed for the weather, but when you're static for that amount of time
you do get very, very cold. It was really windy, so the carriage was
rocking.'
Angela Moffat, 47, and her 12-year-old son Harvey both suffered panic attacks during the breakdown.
She said: 'It was horrible, absolutely horrible. It was just the worst feeling in the world and it was absolutely freezing.
'The cage was shaking back and forward. Harvey was crying all the way home on the bus.'
The passengers were given a refund and a voucher for a free drink to compensate them for their ordeal.
A
spokesman for Underbelly said: 'On early Saturday evening, a safety
alert was triggered on the big wheel due to the inclement weather,
requiring a controlled exit of the ride.
'All
passengers were safely disembarked in under 35 minutes from the time of
the alert. Unfortunately the design of the big wheel does not allow for
an intercom system to be installed.'
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