NewsUK NewsTheme parksThe Big Dipper, one the the oldest rollercoaster's in the world at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, has been halted with an investigation underway amid claims it derailed12:16, 24 Jul 2026Thrill seekers have been forced to evacuate a famous ride at Blackpool Pleasure Beach following fears it was about to derail.‌The Big Dipper, one the the oldest rollercoasters in the world, at the Pleasure Beach resort in Blackpool came to a "stop" at around 2pm yesterday (July 23).‌Footage on social media appears to show broken wooden slats in between the rails with comments that there was a derailment on the Big Dipper.‌And Pleasure Beach Resort has now confirmed the closure of the ride while an investigation takes place into what happened and clarified that the carriages came to a halt rather than coming off the ride.A spokesperson from Pleasure Beach Resort told LancsLive: “The Big Dipper came to a stop Thursday July 23, around 2pm, at a very low point in the ride.‌“Following this, a manual deboarding took place with guests guided safely by trained operators. All riders were checked by first aid trained staff, with no injuries reported. An internal investigation is taking place to determine the root cause.” They did not address claims of damage to the track and it is not clear for how long the ride will not be operating.Many people took to social media to comment on the derailment claims. "We were there on Monday and they were putting in new planks in which the track sits on just at the bottom on the drop," wrote one person, while another said: "The back carriages have always been rough and feel like it flips a bit in some parts."A further comment read: "Was on the ride on Saturday and was a little rough but nothing out of the ordinary if anything the Grand National was worse, genuinely thought at times the train might 'jump the track' but got back to the station with no issues, hope this gets sorted."Article continues belowWhile another person said: "They’ve spent a lot of time working on that lately and it’s not long opened. Hopefully they can sort it but who knows how long Big Dipper has left."Meanwhile, Blackpool Pleasure Beach has been ranked as the top UK destination on a global list for places to keep children entertained on holiday by Attraction Tickets. With the summer holidays about to start it has been named sixth in the international list with Disney and Universal taking the top spots.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Theme parks