Booming Blackpool

The Pleasure Beach 50p-a-ride deal clashed with good weather to bring visitors to the resort in their thousands.

It was a welcome boost to a host of attractions throughout the town which reported a brisk trade in what is traditionally a quiet period in British seaside resorts.

Television advertising, offering every ride on the Pleasure Beach for 50p - including the Big One - brought 85,000 people into town.

More than 30,000 of them rode the Big One and a theme park spokesman said numbers were up by 70 per cent on last year when the giant rollercoaster was excluded from the cheap deal.

It was the first of four weekend promotions which will be followed by daily opening on March 30, the weekend before Easter, when ride prices return to normal.

Meanwhile, motorway police said the four-lane carriageway helped enormously with management of traffic flow and kept congestion to a minimum as vehicles flocked into Blackpool on the M55.

Despite fine weather keeping the crowds outdoors, the Promenade SeaLife Centre reported an upturn in business and the Sandcastle welcomed more than 3,000 people over the two days.

A one-night show by singing star Daniel O'Donnell attracted thousands to the town centre Opera House.

The bumper weekend also coincided with a conference centre buyers' tour hosted by the tourism department.

A spokesman said: "It was a very busy weekend and one which showed how popular Blackpool really is as an all-year-round resort.

"We already have the longest seaside season thanks to the Illuminations - these figures show visitors love coming to Blackpool any time of year."

The coming weekend promises to bring more crowds, with the National Brass Band Competition and the Chess Congress adding to the numbers generated by the promise of thrills and spills for 50p a time at the Pleasure Beach.

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