400 people trapped in fear on London Eye after technical hitch

The 400 passengers were suspended in capsules up to 450ft above ground as one of the capital's main tourist attractions came to a halt.

They were ordered by staff via an intercom system to open emergency supplies of water and huddle under blankets stored within the frames of each pod.

Frightened passengers were also given instructions on where to find commodes should they be desperate to answer a call of nature.

One described the ordeal as a "horrible experience" and said sightseers panicked when they finally made it back to ground level, creating a stampede.

The drama unfolded when operators spotted a technical fault with one of the four tyres used to turn the giant wheel at 6pm on Monday.

Engineers decided to stop the wheel while it was repaired.

Each rotation usually takes about 30 minutes but it took engineers more than an hour to remove the faulty part.

The wheel, on the South Bank of the Thames, then resumed operation on three tyres.

Tourist Samantha Shearman said: "It was a horrible experience.

"Staff were in poor communication with us in the capsules and when we got to get off, they panicked everyone into a stampede. It was handled very badly."

Those who had been stuck were offered a hot drink and a refund. A spokesman for the London Eye said: "We had two-way communication with all the guests, so we spoke to everyone to reassure them.

"There was a technical fault with one of the tyres so we thought the best thing to do was to stop the wheel until it could be repaired."

She said none of the passengers had suffered any health problems or panic attacks.

The Eye was open as normal yesterday, with its operators insisting that full safety checks had been performed.

The London Eye is the world's largest cantilevered observation wheel and was launched in 2000.

It has already welcomed around 27million visitors.