Fire rips through rollercoaster  
 
The Scenic Railway was the centrepiece of Dreamland
Up to 80 firefighters have been battling a blaze which severely damaged a listed rollercoaster at the former Dreamland amusement site in Kent.

Police said they were treating the fire, which broke out on Monday afternoon at the Scenic Railway at Margate, as suspicious.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service had 12 appliances at the scene and a pall of black smoke hung over the town.

Fire investigation officers will enter the site when it is declared safe.

BBC Radio Kent reporter David Linington said the wooden rollercoaster had collapsed.

"It is devastating," said Thanet District Council leader Sandy Ezekiel.

"It is tragic - I used to go on it when I was a kid.

"To see it like this is heartbreaking."

The Grade II listed rollercoaster is believed to be one of the oldest of its kind left in the world.

"It looks like a third of the scenic railway has been completely lost and all the carriages appear to have gone, if they were in the building next door which went up," said Mr Ezekiel.

"When I arrived, the flames were 40-50ft high from the top of the ride.

"The fire brigade did a tremendous job in bringing it under control very quickly. The fire is now out and they are dampening down."

The future of the Dreamland site, which opened in 1920, is uncertain but campaigners and planners want it to become a heritage amusement park as part of a redevelopment scheme for Margate seafront.

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Daggers

Forum Admin
If You Don't Ride Coasters, Don't Come Here.

Dreamland ride 'can be rebuilt'  
 
English Heritage said the site can be restored. Campaigners have said a Grade II listed rollercoaster in Kent can be rebuilt.

About 40% of the Scenic Railway rollercoaster at the former Dreamland amusement park in Margate was destroyed in an arson attack on Monday.

Nick Laister, leader of the Save Dreamland Campaign - which secured the ride's heritage status in 2002, said a rebuild was "possible and achievable".

Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company, which owns the site, was unavailable for comment.

'Listed structure'

Mr Laister continued: "Several people who know the Scenic Railway well, and who have maintained the ride over the years, have told me that repairing the structure will not be a major task."

Peter Kendall, of English Heritage, said: "It's certainly badly damaged but our instinct is that it's not beyond repair."

Sandy Ezekiel, leader of Thanet District Council, has called on the owners to restore it as soon as possible.

"It is a listed structure and the expectation is that, wherever possible, a listed structure should be rebuilt," he said.

Thanet District Council will ask members' leave to serve a Repairs Notice for the Grade II listed building at a meeting next week.

____________
Daggers

Forum Admin
If You Don't Ride Coasters, Don't Come Here.