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Fire crews battle huge blaze at Southport's Pleasureland

Emmett

Giga Poster
THICK smoke billowed over Southport last night as one of the town’s most historic fairground rides went up in flames.

The River Caves – which date back to the 1920s and are no longer in use – were destroyed in what is suspected to be the third arson attack since the former Pleasureland theme park reopened in July 2007.

A total of 10 fire crews battled to contain the huge fire, which broke out at 7.45pm. Firefighters were still dousing the flames at 10.30pm and were expected to remain on site for several hours. Traffic was closed along the Coastal Road between the pier and the funfair as police cordoned off the area. And hordes of onlookers gathered on the Southport sea wall to witness the blaze, which was visible from Blackpool and across the Ribble Estuary.

Norman Wallis managing director of Dreamstorm, the company behind New Pleasureland, said the damage was likely to run into “tens of thousands of pounds”. Fire chiefs are still to determine the cause of the blaze, but have not ruled out deliberate ignition. But Mr Wallis was quick to point the finger at arsonists. He said: “This is the third arson since we’ve opened. First, there was the zoo, then Casablancas [a bar and restaurant] and now the River Caves. “I’m lost for words. All the work that we’ve put in to provide a fairground in Southport and it’s being destroyed by vandals. The weather over the last few days has been the best since we opened and now this happens. We don’t get any trouble when we are open, but as soon as the place closes all the bad boys break in. I’m gutted.”

Southport resident Dave Thackeray, 34, said: “The River Caves was one of my most-loved rides as a child. I had my first kiss there when I was 14. If it is arson, then I haven’t seen destruction on this scale in Southport for many years.”

The River Caves operated as part of the Pleasureland funfair which was closed in 2006. The site was sold to Sefton Council in 2007 for £7.25m, with Dreamstorm granted a licence to run a temporary attraction on the site. The site is to undergo an £80m overhaul as part of the town’s seafront redevelopment by 2014.

http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk...at-southport-s-pleasureland-92534-23441898/2/

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furie

SBOPD
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Bloody hell! That's one hell of a blaze.

They were using part of that for food outlets weren't they?

Saves demolition fees in the future I suppose.
 

Ollie

CF Legend
Ouch. Such an old ride, gone in flames. If it's vandals then I hope they catch the people who did it.
 

furie

SBOPD
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
The ride was gone anyway. The mechanism and boats are all at Margate.

All that was left was the concrete trough (nobody knows if this is the original 1912 trough, it could be from the 1924 relocation of the park).

The actual building and facade was replaced in 1995 I think. This wasn't the first time either and I don't think there was any of the original structure left.

The scenes from inside were stripped by PBB Ltd. for their own use (well, anything they thought they may be able to reuse) and the rest was taken by either the Dreamland trust, or used as theming around New Pleasureland. Anything left in there was rubbish.

So, it's not really much of an old ride going up in flames, just the shell and modern rebuild.
 

Emmett

Giga Poster
An update after the fire.

Blaze-hit Pleasureland ride to be bulldozed

HUNDREDS of tonnes of mangled tracks from a brunt-out rollercoaster will be bulldozed off site over the next two weeks, fun park bosses said today.

New Pleasureland’s managing director also said he will grass over where the historic River Caves ride once stood and transform it into a picnic area.

The ride, first opened in 1908, was destroyed by arsonists on Tuesday night.

Yesterday detectives and fire investigators were turning over the site in the hunt for evidence.

MD Norman Wallis said the picnic area will be temporary while plans are drawn up for a whole new theme park on the site.

Mr Wallis, 45, added: “It will be landscaped and grassed for a picnic area. It’ll be very pleasant for people to eat their lunch and see the sea.

“But in the future we intend to create something that’s bigger and better than what was there.”

One hundred foot flames were seen rising the from huge fire. Fire fighters who tackled the blaze say it started in a number of places.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/live...ureland-ride-to-be-bulldozed-100252-23454593/
 

furie

SBOPD
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
BRUNT-out ROLLERCOASTER???

Top reporting there by the Echo! :roll:

Erm plans for a new theme park? But Sefton do not want! They have Urban Splash failing to do anything on the site ;)
 

marc

CF Legend
So in just 2 days they already have plans to make this a seating area, that's bloody quick planning is it not lol.
 

marc

CF Legend
Think you have totally missed my point Steven.

Anyway as Furie said its not great loss as it was near enough empty anyway.
 

Emmett

Giga Poster
furie said:
Top reporting there by the Echo! :roll:

:lol: , talk about trying to make things sound more exciting. They didn't even mention that the ride wasn't even in the building at the time of the fire and that it is planned for the new heritage park in Margate.

I don't know how they are going to turn the area into a picnic spot as there are already buildings either side of the River Caves. Its going to look very odd and I don't think you can even see the sea from there anyway with the promenade walls in the way.
 
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