'Come on you snobs, try our wheel' - Dudley MP
An MP has demanded critics stop talking his home town down and has even invited TV presenter Piers Morgan to join him on a new ferris wheel.
It comes after Morgan and other national journalists branded the DY Eye in Dudley as the 'worst tourist attraction in Britain' because of the view of factories, concrete buildings and car parks.
Some locals have also criticised the wheel, saying 'it's not a good thing because there's not enough to see in Dudley'.
Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, Morgan said he 'loves' people from the Midlands but questioned why a wheel would be built to 'look at 400-year-old bricks.'
He said: "I think even the people of Dudley, who have a great sense of humour, must be looking at that and saying 'even I don't want to see that and I live in Dudley'."
The Free Radio DY Eye Ferris wheel is 35m high, staking its claim as the largest ever big wheel to set up camp in the Black Country.
But Dudley North MP Ian Austin has hit back at the criticism, saying he is proud to come from the area.
He said: "I'm from Dudley, I love the place and I'm proud of it.
"I was in town last Saturday and saw lots of people queuing up to get on. Shop owners and traders on the market told me the town was busier than usual.
"The owner of the Arcade Toy Shop said that his takings were already up 30 per cent.
"I think Len Lenihan who leads the traders' group and his colleagues are doing a really good job promoting the town and encouraging new visitors and we should all get behind them and support their efforts instead of talking the town down.
"I'm inviting the snobs in the national media to come to Dudley and take a trip with me on the wheel.
"They'll see our fantastic castle, the new marketplace, the world-beating Black Country Museum and the Wrens Nest which was the first ever geological National Nature Reserve.
"While they're here, we can tell them how Dudley lit the spark that triggered the industrial revolution, changing not just this area, but the whole of the world," added Mr Austin.
The wheel cost £10,000 to install, funded by Dudley market traders, led by group chairman Len Lenihan and the council spending £3,300 each.
It will remain in place until April 10 and costs £4 for adults and £3 for children.
