Coney Beach Pleasure Park

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Coney Beach's skyline is dominated by the Mega Blitz roller coaster and the Beach Party ride
Coney Beach's skyline is dominated by the Mega Blitz roller coaster and the Beach Party ride

Coney Beach Pleasure Park is a small amusement park in (Porthcawl, Mid Glamorgan, United Kingdom). It has roots dating back to 1920, when a Figure Eight wooden roller coaster was relocated from West Glamorgan. The Figure Eight operated until 1981. Another notable ride was the Water Chute (similar to the now defunct Vikingar at Pleasure Beach Blackpool (Blackpool Pleasure Beach), which operated from 1932 to the early 1990s.

In 2004, a story was found stating that the park would be closed and redeveloped within two years. As of 2007, the park is still operating, although it has fallen into some disrepair.

The water shute which was unique as it dominated the skyline nearest the beach was demolished actually in the late 90s/ early 2000 period. Mainly due to an accident which had occurred due to the high winds which occurred in April 1994 and which caused a number of cars to be derailed killing one young child in the process, the stigma of the accident steadily saw the numbers of people whom used the water shute to rapidly decline and hence the demolishing.

Contents

[edit] Roller coasters

  • Mega Blitz - A Pinfari designed portable steel roller coaster, opened in 1996. Although it does not have inversions, the trains are equipped with over-the-shoulder restaints
  • Nessi - A small family sized roller coaster
  • Happy Gater - A small Wisdom Rides powered coaster

[edit] Other attractions

[edit] Food and drink

There are many food and drink stalls throughout the park. However, a Burger King franchise is located near the side exit of the park.

[edit] Controversy

Some critics argue that the entire park is in urgent need of modernisation and redevelopment. Some rides, such as Megablitz and Nessi have been said to create very sharp impacts upon the rider which should not normally be felt. Megablitz has been prone to shaking the rider's head rather vigorously throughout the duration of the ride.[citation needed] In October 1998 a holiday maker at the Pleasure Park complained that a Slush Puppy bought in one of the amusement arcades contained rusty nails and bits of meat.[citation needed] This has led to a debate over whether the rides and facilities are properly checked and maintained. Although the more modern rides such as Beach Party appear to be properly maintained and checked, controversy can be raised over whether the park is neglecting its older rides, which in turn creates safety concerns.

[edit] External links