Blackpool Pleasure Beach's Big One 'breaks down' on lift hill on first day of Easter holidays

Blackpool Pleasure Beach's flagship rollercoaster The Big One broke down on the lift hill, which peaks at 235ft.

Pictures taken from outside the theme park show a train was stopped on the lift hill near the attraction's first drop on Friday.

Trained operators subsequently helped several people walk down a huge flight of steps to safely get off the ride.

A spokesperson for Pleasure Beach Resort said "there was a minor technical problem and the safety system on the ride worked exactly as it should."

"Following our normal process, trained operators walked all riders safely down the steps, which were built for this purpose," they added.

"This process took approximately 40 minutes and the ride is now back in operation."

Changing the skyline of Blackpool forever, The Big One was constructed in 1994 and designed by Ron Toomer.

Manufactured by Arrow Dynamics, the iconic structure was the tallest, fastest and steepest steel rollercoaster in the world.