The amusement park, Pleasureland Southport, is to receive a £1m white-knuckle ride this April.

The £1m Space Shot, designed by S&S of Utah, USA, is a 150-ft tower ride which catapults riders into the air at 80mph, giving them a similar experience to that of being ejected from a fighter plane.

Around £12m has been invested in the 27-acre park over the last five years, which attracts more than two million people a year.

TRAUMAtizer has been such a success since launched it back in 1999, that we can now give Pleasureland another headline white-knuckle attraction. It will make a dramatic addition to the Southport skyline, said Geoffrey Thompson, managing director of the park.