THOUSANDS of holiday-makers were getting the fright of their lives at Disneyland in 2006 thanks in part to an East Lancashire engravers.

For Hitchens Engravers, based in Accrington, had crafted the operator’s control panels for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride at Disneyland’s California Adventure Park.

It wasn’t the first Disney theme park commission for Hitchens. The firm also engraved the control panels for the Buzz Lightyear ride at Disneyland Paris.

Managing director Barry Wearing, said the opportunity to work on the Tower of Terror came through Amot, an engineering firm that makes the control systems for theme park rides.

He said: “We started off doing little bits and pieces for them but they became more aware of the quality of our work and the kind of prices being charged up here compared to London firms.

“They were over the moon with what they were getting so they asked us to make the control panels for the Tower of Terror.”

Mr Wearing said it was prestigious a small Accrington firm to be working for Disney.

He said his wife, Christine, who ran the trophy side of the business, had been trying to talk him into a holiday to California so they could see their handiwork close up.