Milton Keynes 'Winter Wonderland' cancelled after just one day

A 'Winter Wonderland' experience in Milton Keynes that had been billed as a fun-filled two-week extravaganza has been cancelled after just one day.

The Milton Keynes Citizen said the "magical winter festival" offered attractions including an ice skating rink, circus, husky dogs and reindeer, and had been set to run from 14 to 22 December.

Live music and performances from acts including dance group Kazzum, who reached the final of Sky One's Got to Dance, and X Factor's Laura White, were also promised.

The Deputy Mayor of Milton Keynes was even meant to open the event, which had originally been partnered with local disability charity Papworth Trust.

But parents and visitors took to social media to express their disappointment at the event, which reportedly "ruined" one three-year-old's birthday, with a grotto that featured men in "Santa outfits from Poundland" and an "dreadful" unusable ice skating rink.

The BBC reports that the paid-for ice skating rink was described as "a few plastic sheets".

One parent said the runaway train ride was at one point being pushed around by hand.

According to buzzfeed, the parent said: "We were disgusted with the H+S of the run away train. The poles which held it up had missing screws (which were laid next to it) and some poles were not even fixed at all!!!

"As the train went around the whole structure shook so much it could have collapsed at any time."

Organiser Lorenzo Franco told the BBC he was sorry for disappointing customers and said he is offering refunds.

He added that it was his company's first event, and the closure was for health and safety reasons due to staff shortages.

The story echoes that of two brothers who were jailed in 2011 over a Lapland-style theme park 'con' in the New Forest.

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