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More than 2,000 people have complained about a Lapland-style family attraction in Dorset, where fights have broken out between visitors and staff.

Lapland New Forest, near Bournemouth, has been blasted by customers who say it does not live up to the marketing hype.

The venture, which is actually miles from the Forest, is the second of its type in Britain - although completely unconnected to the original Lapland UK in Kent.

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The website for LNF describes a “breath-taking Tunnel of Light”, “beautiful ‘snow’-covered log cabins” and an “affordable attraction”.

But the reality, claim some visitors, is short of well short of magical.

Complaints include claims of a scruffy nativity scene in a muddy forest, a “tunnel of light” that’s no more than fairy lights hanging from trees, husky dogs chained in a pen, log cabins that looked like garden sheds and queues of up to two hours to see Santa.

More than 2,000 have lodged complaints with Consumer Direct.

The RSPCA has confirmed it has also been contacted by concerned visitors. Around 20 people have complained to the charity about the treatment of animals at Lapland New Forest, including huskies and reindeer.

A spokesman told Times Online that inspectors were satisfied that the animals had food, water and shelter, and said complaints probably arose from the fact that the “surroundings looked so grim”.

Various Facebook groups have been set up by disgruntled visits and have attracted more than 2,000 members. One group supporting the attraction has 21 members.

One of the Facebook users complaining about the park, Denise Brown, wrote: “The face painting consisted of a red nose and black lines for whiskers, the girl doing it said she had never done face painting before,” while another user, Hazel Wakefield wrote: “Hardly anything that was advertised was there… I knew it was bad when even the catering staff were moaning about how it was nothing like they expected.”

A spokeswoman for Dorset County Council says its trading standards officials have visited the park. She told Times Online that the council does not have the power to close down the attraction, but the council could seek a prosecution if consumer laws have been breached.

The investigation is ongoing, but in the meantime she said some minor health and safety concerns have been rectified by the attraction organisers.

According to reports in The Sun, frustrated customers have attacked staff, who are dressed as elves, snowmen, and Santa.

Tickets to the attraction, which opened on Friday, cost £30 for individuals, £25 per person for families of four or more and £10 for children under two.

Organiser Henry Mears claims 95 per cent of visitors were “extremely happy”.

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