The Pleasure Beach in Great Yarmouth is going to continue to charge people to enter the park - claiming it offers a "more inclusive experience for all the family".

The move comes after the theme park originally brought in timed sessions, in which visitors could go on as many rides as they wanted, in order to control numbers during the pandemic.

But now the park has announced it will keep the pay on entry system for the rest of the year.

In statement the Pleasure Beach said: "As a company we believe transparency is crucial and our main priority is to keep customers happy.

"A decision had to be made in November last year and after much deliberation, we concluded that the best system for the 2022 season was the timed sessions/closed gate system.

"There were several reasons we came to this conclusion. Firstly, the sessions were very popular and proved to be extremely good value for money as customers could ride repeatedly throughout their time at the park.

"Secondly, we found that the pay-on-entrance system offered a more inclusive experience for all the family.

"We were able to launch some amazing events with the closed gate system, including the award-winning Fairground Frights and Coaster Cabana.

"Lastly, from an operational and staffing standpoint, things are much more manageable with a closed system and timed sessions.

"Whilst we appreciate that those wishing to enter to walk around and spectate will be disappointed, we accept that we cannot keep everyone 100pc satisfied."

The statement was issued following comments on social media about non-riders still needing to pay to enter.

John Brooks said: "Should let non-riders in for a cheap rate."

This was echoed by Cherry Ann Schamp, who wrote: "You should have a non-rider ticket for a small charge as it is not fair paying full price as you don’t ride."

Pleasure Beach Gardens will remain free to enter, while tickets to enter the main park are priced at £15 for a four hour session for those aged three and up.

Those under the age of three can enter the park for free.

The park said it would monitor customer feedback and "strive to give our customers the best experience possible moving forward".

The Pleasure Beach's statement concluded: "Lastly we wanted to say a massive thank you to our fantastic customer base, who overall, have been more than understanding and continue to support us.

"Here's to an amazing 2022 season with lots of thrills, fun and smiles."