Major UK seaside town theme park slammed for 'absolute robbery' fee - 'Disgraceful!'

A major UK theme park has been criticised for introducing an "absolute robbery" admission fee for non-riders. to Pleasure Beach were able to roam the site freely until 2009 but all guests are now charged an entry fee.

The attraction, which opened in 1896 and now provides jobs for , introduced a flat entry rate of £50 on the day or £30 if booked in advance. Meanwhile, the costs for children under the age of 11 are set at £45 and £30 respectively. Those who don't want to ride on the big rollercoasters can purchase a ticket for £25 which gives access to entertainment and admission to walk around the whole park. It also includes a £5 voucher for food and drink.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach bosses also confirmed reduced prices at the start of this summer. Visitors who book online will get tickets at the same price as their children until the end of June.

The park also introduced new ticketing options which allows guests to arrive later in the day and pay less for afternoon tickets. However, as reported by the , some people are still angry at the pricing.

One person said on the Welcome to Blackpool Facebook page: "Ridiculous £25 to walk around and trying to sell it with £5 credit which will be lucky to buy you a slush, and ticket to hot ice that quite frankly most wouldn't want anyway, £5 to walk around is quite enough."

A second added: "Hate it when they state "we've listened carefully to Park goers" what a load of codswallop. Who in the right mind are these people that state £25 is a fantastic incentive just to walk around holding coats?'

A third wrote: "Day light robbery. Disgraceful." A fourth put: "It's a RIP OFF."

A fifth said: "Bosses never listen. Needs to be free to walk round...end of the pleasure beach." A sixth added: "Completely missed the mark with this. They had a chance to make it right and completely screwed it up. Well done."

However, other fans of the theme park have defended the prices. One said: "I'm in the minority but if they don't charge something anyone and everyone is free to roam around the park, unfortunately they will use and abuse it."

A second wrote: "I know I felt a little safer inside with my kids... maybe they need to tweak this like maybe grandparents get in free with paying children etc but I'm just trying to see why they do it from a different viewpoint."

Amanda Thompson, CEO of Pleasure Beach, previously said: "This year we've placed a strong focus on making visits more affordable for families, without compromising the guest experience.

"We believe we have done this in ways that allow us to continue to thrive - not only as an important destination in Blackpool, but as an employer of hundreds of local people.

"We've listened carefully to our guests, and it's clear that flexibility and choice are more important than ever. That's why we've made the decision to launch our non rider eTickets with more added benefits - a move that sets us apart in the industry."

Blackpool Pleasure Beach announced the closure of five rides earlier this year after confirming a £2.7m pre-tax loss. However, bosses defended the move and explained there's plenty for visitors to be excited about.

They said the closures have allowed them to reinvest money in the site to make it "bigger and better". This includes the construction of the brand new £8.72m Gyro Swing - the biggest and the only one of its kind in the UK - which will open next year.