A family were left more than 120m (400ft) in the air after strong winds “ripped the emergency hatch” from their pod on the London Eye.

David Nock, from Bournemouth, Dorset, was on a trip to the capital with his family when Storm Henk swept across the city on Tuesday.

He said he started to question “what else might go wrong” as his family of 11 were stranded for five minutes when the observation wheel along the Thames came to a halt.

Storm Henk aftermath – click here for latest updates

The 43-year-old said the London Eye began “flexing” on the way up and kept stop-starting as it struggled with the wind.

Storm Henk brought high winds, heavy rain and significant disruption to the UK – and forced officials to close the London Eye for a “brief period”.

Mr Nock said: “The wind started playing hooley and ripped the emergency hatch off the top of the pod with a big crash. Obviously, we’re exposed to the elements. It was nerve-racking.

“When you’ve got your whole family up there it makes you slightly anxious – you start to question the integrity of the pod itself and what else might go wrong.

“Our other concern was that, if the hatch detaches, you’ve got a large object, 130m up, flying through the air and it could hit someone.

“The whole Eye was flexing at one point – and I did wonder whether they were stopping and starting because the wheels that rotate it weren’t getting traction.

“Equally, on the way down, there were stops and starts and then the hatch started crunching and squishing into the mechanism – that’s when I said, right, I’m going to push the emergency button.”

Read more:
Flood warnings as Storm Henk brings disruption
UK battered as gusts of over 90mph cause damage

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A spokesperson for the London Eye said that, following an “isolated technical issue”, they “immediately ensured that guests safely disembarked”.

They added: “Due to disruption from adverse weather conditions yesterday, we took the decision to close the lastminute.com London Eye for a brief period.

“We can confirm that no parts of the pod detached from the main structure and that no guests were injured.”

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