Britain’s oldest rollercoaster rips itself to shreds after piece of wood fell off

Passengers on a rollercoaster in Kent were shocked when the track in front of them began to crumble mid-ride.

The footage was shot on Dreamland Margate’s ‘Scenic Railway Ride’, which is the UK’s oldest rollercoaster.

Theme park enthusiast Andre Bormans shot the footage and told Kent Live: ‘My visit to Dreamland Margate was part of a trip with a rollercoaster enthusiast group.

‘Most of my friends already rode the Scenic Railway before me, but I decided to wait a round so I could get a shot at a front-row seat in order to film the ride.

‘They completed their ride as normal and it was my turn. The first part of the ride went as usual. After the second lift, I noticed something on the track already.

‘I felt the train moving slightly sideways and braking too much. When the train rolled back, I could see the damage it did to the track.’

Passengers were helped to safety by staff, and the ride has been closed since the incident on August 10.

Those on the ride were heard speaking nervously after the ride stopped, realising something was wrong. Nobody was injured.

They can later be heard talking nervously among themselves as they realise the wooden slats were damaged.

Andre informed staff about the video he took, and offered it to them to help with investigations of what happened.

But it didn’t ruin his day out: ‘After everything was said and done I rejoined my friends and we still had a blast the rest of the day and went on many of the other rides.’

Last year, a man spotted a huge crack on a rollercoaster support pillar hundreds of feet up in the air – as families whizzed by on a ride.

Video footage taken by Mr Wagner last Friday shows a close-up of the Fury 325, with packed carriages flying past.

At 325 feet tall, Fury 325 is one of Carowinds’ main attractions. It can carry dozens of riders and send them barreling at speeds of up to 95 miles per hour during its more than 3-minute ride, according to the park’s website.

Officials were able to close the ride for repairs before anyone was hurt.

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