Footage has unveiled what one of the region’s most famous water parks looks like now as demolition crews raze the building to the ground.
Wet 'n' Wild in North Shields - once known as the UK’s largest indoor waterpark - is currently being reduced to rubble after plans to demolish the site were approved in August.
The water park, which first opened in 1993, sadly struggled in its later years, and had been abandoned for several years when plans for its demolition were first put forward.
Now, new footage, taken by urban explorer YouTubers Urbex Drone View, have offered the first glimpse of the once-thriving water park as it is gutted by crews and torn apart.
The building has now been cut in half and open to the elements, with piles of rubble now laying on the ground just metres from where happy families used to queue up to enter.
Green and blue tubes that were once full of kids sliding down are now chopped up and laying on the mud, while part of the slide tower still remains standing.
Wet 'n' Wild was well-known as one of the North East’s best indoor attractions in its glory years, featuring a lazy river, wave machine, soft play area, and slides such as the abyss, black hole, tornado and kamikaze.
However, the Rotary Way facility has had a chequered history over the years, with financial difficulties playing a part in the early 2010s.
The waterpark was sold to Serco Leisure in 2014, which took over and invested in the site, refurbishing the reception, café and the children’s Discovery Play Island.
But sadly, it went into administration in 2020, leaving its future in doubt.
The park was left abandoned until it was sold to an unnamed developer in June of 2024, which ignited hopes that it could be returned to its former glory.
However, Bloom Developments Ltd submitted plans in July to demolish the building due to “recurrent breaking and entering with increasing anti-social behaviour”.
In July, The Northern Echo reported how three young men were arrested by police after an “illegal rave” at the waterpark, which saw a small group set up a DJ deck in the facility.
However, they were all released with no further action taken.
It is not known what the future of the site holds, with demolition set to last for around eight weeks.
Many voiced their devastation over seeing the footage of the building being demolished, with people calling it “very sad”.
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One person said: “Aw, what a sad sight. I have some fabulous childhood memories of the place. It's a shame they didn't fix it up.”
Another added: “What a sad sight. I had hours of fun there with my child and it is a shame that this wonderful facility has been lost.”
You can see the full video on the Urbex Drone View YouTube page here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQKrMYQpyN0.
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