Delay for launch of roller coaster

THE new roller coaster at Barry Island Pleasure Park has not been given the all-clear to open to customers.

Fairground owner Henry Danter said the delay was just a matter of paperwork, while the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said it had prohibited the ride from being operated.

The Cyclone is the latest ride at the Barry funfair and when operating is reportedly able to reach speeds of 45mph.

When the roller coaster arrived at its new home in July, Mr Danter told the Echo he expected it to be open to the public early this month.

A spokesman for the HSE said: “We have been in contact with the operator regarding the Cyclone roller coaster ride at Barry Island Pleasure Park and have taken the decision to prohibit the ride from being operated until all necessary testing and pre-start documentation is available for inspection.

“The carrying out of such tests, and the provision of documentation, is a matter for both the ride owner or operator and a ride examiner from a registered inspection body.

“HSE does not carry out those tests nor does it issue the documentation. We cannot comment further at this time.”

Mr Danter insisted there was no problem with the ride.

“There is nothing wrong with the ride,” said Mr Danter. “It is just a matter of paperwork.”

Mr Danter had previously said the new ride was “really expensive” and that “every theme park needs a roller coaster and we had to get rid of the other one”.

Mr Danter took over Barry Island Pleasure Park in 2015, with promises of a £22m redevelopment that would make it “the best tourist attraction in Wales” within five years, yet his ownership of the famous fairground has been beset by controversy.

A ferris wheel was erected in October 2017 without the proper planning permission, taken down, spent Christmas on Clapham Common in London, before returning to Barry Island and re-erected following approval from the council.

During the disagreement with the council Mr Danter had said he was at a loss to explain the latest argument with the council.

“We want to work with the council not against them,” he had said. “We have put all our family wealth here to make it a better place so why they are doing this to us I don’t know. I thought our relationship was very good – we made Barry great again. We put the heart back into Barry. We have made Barry what it is. It was down the pan, it was a terrible site, it was just a lost cause.”

In the summer of 2017 the fairground was accused of building an extension at the park without the correct planning permission and it was taken down.

Last year the council decided to pursue a legal case against Mr Danter over a structurally-unsound dodgems attraction building at the park. At the end of November Mr Danter admitted breaking building regulations at the park in a hearing at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court.

Mr Danter pleaded guilty to breaching part A1 of the Building Regulations 2010 when he extended the arcade building. He was fined £20,700 and ordered to pay £14,311 in court costs.

Also last year two convicted paedophiles spent seven weeks working at a funfair during the summer period. The two men, both from the Midlands, had given aliases to conceal their previous convictions while trying to get a job.