IT'S not every day you get called to the aid of a longboat full of Vikings off Blackpool beach.

So the resort's lifeboat crew must have thought they were stuck in a time warp on Tuesday (August 17) when the Pleasure Beach's latest publicity stunt did not quite go according to plan.

The idea was for the craft to set sail from the Starr Gate slipway escorted by a coastguard boat and land on the beach for a mock battle, all in the name of promoting the park's new Viking-themed ride.

But there was drama in the teeming rain when the engine of the coastguard boat developed a problem and the lifeboat had to be called in to tow the longboat back out to sea when those aboard couldn't get the oars going.

Lifeboat helmsman David Warburton admitted it was not the usual run-of-the-mill rescue, joking: "I'm glad to say the number of Viking longboat rescues have declined significantly in the past few years. It must have something to do with our sea safety initiative!"

Another disaster was narrowly avoided when those fighters who stayed on the beach were almost cut off by the incoming tide. Luckily, a last-minute jump to safety stopped them going the way of their predecessors.

Vikings for the stunt, which earned many a strange glance from specially invited guests and passers-by, were acquired from Regia Anglorum, a national society dedicated to recreating life and times of such folk.

After their sea escapade they trooped over to the new ride, Valhalla, for a true Viking naming ceremony complete with chants and stone unveiling.

Costing £15 million, Valhalla will open next spring and is billed as the biggest, most spectacular dark ride ever.

Commented Pleasure Beach boss, Geoffrey Thomspon: "It is the biggest privately funded Millennium investment. We know we are in competition with the Millennium Dome in Greenwich but we have vowed to have more visitors."

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