London Eye breaks down leaving tourists stuck in pods on hottest day of year

People have been left stuck on one of the world's most famous attractions after it suddenly broke down during .

Engineers reportedly rushed to thethis afternoon after the wheel unexpectedly stalled, leaving people stuck inside and massive crowds waiting to board. The attraction had only just started running again following an earlier stalling when it stopped, with more sightseers having stepped onto the attraction's pods. They have joined others previously stuck on board, with potentially hundreds of people left waiting for the ride to start again as temperatures surged towards 30C.

The has predicted that temperatures could edge their way towards 30C this afternoon, making today the hottest day of the year so far.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

The mercury is expected to widely reach around 29C in the southeast, with forecasters assigning a 30 percent chance they could surge by another degree.

One forecaster for the agency told the Metro: "There is even a 30 percent chance of seeing 30C heat, and if this is the case will be the first time on record such temperatures have been seen so early in the year."

The searing temperatures are unlikely to affect the passengers aboard the London Eye this evening, however, as each of its pods are air conditioned.

London Eye operators boast that each pod is equipped with full climate control, but one woman aboard the attraction today said her son started crying after the pod became hot.

Jen Mills, a news reporter for the Metro, said she was also scared by the experience. She said: "It got really hot and my son started sweating and crying. I got scared too. When you are at the top it is quite scary."

The attraction, which sees approximately three million visitors per year, has a total capacity of around 800 people at any one time.

The London Eye said in a statement posted to X, formerly , that the attraction was "temporarily paused" earlier today while engineers investigated a "minor technical issue".

The statement added that there was a "short 10 minute delay to boarding", and that operations have since resumed as normal. They said: "Earlier today, the London Eye temporarily paused to investigate a minor technical issue.

"Our team were able to quickly resolve the issue, resulting in a short 10 minute delay to boarding, after which we resumed operating as usual. We apologise for any inconvenience caused."