Children trapped 50ft in air on rollercoaster after 'wheel falls off'

Witnesses say 21 people stuck on ride for more than half an hour

Some 21 people have been rescued after they were trapped on a rollercoaster at Gulliver's World in Warrington for 35 minutes when the ride malfunctioned.

Emergency services were called to the theme park in Warrington, Cheshire, shortly after 12.50pm on Saturday and fire crews used ladders and scaffolding to free the group of mainly children and parents stuck around 50 ft (15m) in the air.

Footage posted on social media showed the ride suspended on the track after a wheel apparently fell off.

Witnesses at the park said many of the children were "crying" as they dangled mid-air.

A Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service spokeswoman said no-one was injured in the incident at the park, which is marketed at children between the ages of two and 13.

Detective Chief Superintendent Nigel Wenham, from Cheshire police, tweeted: "@cheshirepolice have responded to incident at #GulliversWorld together with @CheshireFire North West Ambulance Service. This has NOT been declared a major incident."

Nicole Anastasia said in a post on Facebook that she been waiting in the queue when the events unfolded.

"Next in the q (queue) for Gully’s Crazy Train hear an almighty crash as the wheels land on the floor,” she wrote.

"Ride stuck with those small children mid ride! Never been so glad to still be waiting. Hope they get them down soon!"