Blackpool's giant Star Flyer ride loses power on opening day leaving thrill-seekers stranded in the air

The Star Flyer came to a sudden stop shortly before 5pm on its opening day, leaving dozens of passengers suspended in the air on a bitingly cold day.

The huge swing, which costs £7 for a 5 minute ride, was out of operation for around 10 minutes after its power reportedly cut out mid-spin.

Riders were left perched on their seats around 40ft above street level before they were lowered safely to the ground when staff took control of the ride's manual system.

Event organisers Blackpool Promotions described the ride's power outage as a "very minor issue".

Today, a spokesman for the company, said: "The ride was not operational for a matter of minutes and fully open for around 9 hours on the day.

"All people were brought down safely by the rides manual system and exited the ride within a few minutes.

"This was a very minor issue in what was a fantastic day for Blackpool with many thousands of people coming and supporting the Star Flyer ride and wider Christmas offer in Blackpool."

The white-knuckle ride - half the height of Blackpool Tower - opened at the Tower Festival Headland on Sunday after being moved from its original location in St John's Square last week.

The largest of its kind in Europe, the giant swing was moved under orders from Blackpool Council on Thursday (November 18).

The Council expressed safety concerns after it realised the footprint of the ride "was significantly bigger than envisaged", with workers told to dismantle the giant before a new space was found for it on the Prom.

The ride has been a huge hit since it welcomed its first riders onboard on Sunday morning, attracting hundreds of thrill-seekers to the resort for its first weekend.

A Blackpool Promotions spokesman added: "We are delighted to have the ride operating and providing a spectacular experience in Blackpool this Christmas.

"The next stage of the wonderland opens on Friday this week with food stalls in St Johns Square, traditional rides, Santa’s grotto, VR experiences inside the winter gardens and much more.

"All we want is for the town to have a successful Christmas, for businesses to be able to gain additional revenue after a horrendous 18 months, children to be excited for Christmas and for everyone to have a great time."

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