A ride that was installed at Dreamland amusement park in 2018 is being removed.
The Pinball X, similar to its predecessor, the Magic Mouse that drew crowds throughout 2017, has been dismantled and is destined for Hastings.
Dreamland bosses say the coaster’s removal is part of changes being made due to social distancing requirements.
A spokesperson for the amusement park said: “Every year at Dreamland we examine the rides and attractions we offer and look to make changes and improvements.
“This year the pandemic has meant that Dreamland, like many other tourist, leisure and events businesses across the globe, has had to rethink its operation with new levels of safety in mind.
“The age and layout of some of rides within our amusement park make social distancing almost impossible to adhere to, so we have decided to move some rides off the park, these will mainly be going into storage for now.
Strange going’s on @DreamlandMarg ? Pinball spinning coaster being taken down … apparently sold to a fun park in Hastings ? Will it ever open up in 2021 ? All.quiet 🤫?@ThanetGazette @IsleThanetNews @ThanetExtra @DreamlandTrust pic.twitter.com/KPrkeeKW1J
— nick jones (@djnickjones) April 4, 2021
“The Pinball X will be leaving us, but hopefully a similar type of ride will be back Dreamland in the near future.”
A Dreamland spokesperson previously said that until guidelines on social distancing are relaxed, the park would be unable to offer the carefree visitor experience that customers have come to expect.
Outdoor gigs are being lined up for this year including Totally Wired earmarked for July 3, The Beat July 8 and The Specials due to perform at the park on August 28.
The Dreamland estate was sold by Thanet council to park operator Sands Heritage Ltd for £7million at the end of last year.
The sale, one of the biggest asset disposals in Thanet council’s history, included the amusement park, the TDC restored Dreamland cinema and Sunshine Café building and the 400 space car park.
The sale of Dreamland park, cinema, scenic railway, rides and intellectual property, completed on December 18, was for £2.3million and the exchange of contracts for the sale of the car park, which took place on the same day and should be completed this month, was for £4.7m.
Dreamland gave 52 members of staff notice of redundancy from July 1 last year due to the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
