Group issues statement after incident in Chesterfield town centre

As previously reported, Agnese Lupike said her three-year-old-son Marcus was riding the attraction opposite H&M at Vicar Lane Shopping Centre on Saturday afternoon when the pretend fire engine he was travelling in became detached from the platform and 'flew off' in the direction of a young by-stander.

The ride's operator is a member of the Yorkshire section of the Showmen's Guild, a group which exists to protect the interests of travelling showmen in the UK.

In a statement released to the Derbyshire Times today, the guild said: "We can reassure you that while there was an unfortunate incident, this was not a common occurrence.

"The operator is working according to the agreed practices so that the ride is being checked by an independent inspector who will make sure that it is safe to operate before it can open to the public again, according to laid down procedures, which we always take very seriously.

"The operator is experienced and works in accordance with the strict safety procedures that are laid down and incidents like this are extremely rare.

"We are doing everything to make sure that this ride, along with all the rides from Showmen's Guild members across the country, have all the safety procedures in place and are operated in a safe way for the public.

"We shall continue to monitor the situation with our colleagues in the Yorkshire section to ensure that safety is the number one priority among all of our members serving the public."