Fairground working with Health and Safety Executive after worker suffers injury during ride testing

A South Shields fairground is working with authorities to determine how an employee was seriously injured during maintenance testing.

Emergency services were called to Ocean Beach Amusement Park, in South Shields, shortly after midday on Sunday 19 March.

A 52-year-old worker was found to have suffered serious head injuries in what police described as a "workplace accident".

He remains in a critical but stable condition at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) hospital in Newcastle.

Yesterday, the amusement park released a statement to say they are working closely with Health and Safety officials to find out what happened.

The statement read: "Ocean Beach Management can confirm a work-related incident took place on the morning of Sunday 19th March which involved a member of staff during daily testing and maintenance.

"This happened at ground level on an amusement ride before it was open to the public. No other employees or members of the public were injured.

"We would like to thank the emergency services who arrived promptly and then took the staff member involved to the RVI in Newcastle.

"The ride owner/operator is working closely with the Health & Safety Executive and Northumbria Police. The Police confirmed that other Amusement rides and individually owned businesses can remain open as this was an isolated work-related incident.

"Our thoughts at this time are with the staff member involved and we will give further updates in due course."

After the incident on Sunday, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) spokesperson said: “We are aware of this incident and assisting Northumbria Police to establish what happened.”