IT SHOULD have been the thrill of a lifetime for hundreds of children: meeting the “real” Father Christmas in Lapland.

According to the tour operator, a sleigh ride through the woods among grazing reindeer would end with elves introducing them to Santa at his grotto.

The £450-a-head trip, however, ended in a near riot, with furious parents demanding a refund and children in tears when told that Santa was too busy to see them. Many were so upset that they said they no longer believed in Father Christmas.

Those lucky enough to catch a fleeting glimpse apparently found him in the doorway of a restaurant surrounded by dirty dinner plates and bottles of ketchup.

The British day-trippers had travelled to the winter resort of Saariselkä, Finland, last weekend. But faced by queues two hours long many families were apparently told by travel representatives that because of an “operational” hitch not all could visit the grotto.

Hilary Hughes, 65, a part-time dinner lady from Alvechurch, Worcestershire, took her daughters Maricka, 42, and Becky, 34, and four grandchildren on the trip. They flew from Birmingham and caught a coach to Saariselkä. Mrs Hughes, 65, said it had been a dream of her late husband’s to take the grandchildren to Lapland. “He had started saving. This year I finally raised the money but a dream trip turned into a nightmare for us.

“The resort was picturesque and really got us into the Christmas spirit with reindeer, sledging, husky dog rides and Skidoos. But that was where the fun ended. We waited for ages for snow boots and thermal clothes promised as part of the package — only they didn’t have enough to go around. Then there was another long wait to get to the sleigh ride to go and see Santa. We’d been travelling all day and had waited for two hours, and the last thing we needed to be told was that we couldn’t see Santa because of ‘operational’ problems.

“All hell broke loose. People were shouting and bawling while children began sobbing.”

Mrs Hughes said that when her grandchildren, Thomas, 10, Millie, 8, Connor, 6, and Molly, 4, finally met Santa, they refused to believe that he was the real one. She added that Thomas and Millie no longer believed in Father Christmas.

“The guides finally agreed to send Santa to us. When you think of Santa, you think of him by a roaring fire. What we got was Father Christmas standing in the doorway of a restaurant between the kitchen and dining area. Behind him were dirty plates and bottles of ketchup. Also, he didn’t speak English and just sat with each child for about 30 seconds.”

Charlotte Beckford, of Transun Travel, said that an investigation had begun. “Transun has been informed there were some difficulties experienced by certain passengers flying from Birmingham, Bristol or East Midlands. Transun very much regrets things did not go as planned because we pride ourselves on our high standards, having operated in Lapland successfully for the past 11 years. Anybody who writes to us may be assured of a full response after the results of our investigations and each letter will be evaluated on its own merits with sympathetic consideration.”

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