London Eye breaks, those at top enjoy prolonged view

The London Eye wasn’t expected to be a huge hit when it first opened, but the glorified Ferris wheel that looks across the Themes River at the houses of parliament has proven to be a good earner and a staple attraction for the city of London. Yesterday however, some riders found themselves trapped in the eye for more than an hour while engineers tried to fix a problem with the mechanics.

Workers laboured to repair one of the four tires that control the spinning mechanism on the giant wheel, while some people watched the sunset over the city from a height of 450 feet. Passengers were updated by staff through an intercom in the cabins, keeping people calm and without serious worry.

A spokeswoman for the London Eye commented on the problem by saying, “It stopped for a brief period while we rectified it and then we got all the guests off,” said a London Eye spokeswoman. ”We had full communication with them throughout and offered them a refund afterwards.”