LAPLAND New Forest bosses are battling on with their troubled Christmas theme park despite calls for it to be closed down and the threat of prosecution.

The much-criticised site is still open for business despite more than 2,000 complaints and investigations from local councils and the RSPCA.

Dorset County Council’s trading officers are considering evidence after visiting the Matchams site to see for themselves what prompted so many calls from angry customers.

They took photographs and are considering whether there have been any breaches of consumer rights, and if customers have been misled.

East Dorset District Council continues to investigate health and safety issues and has stopped the sale of alcohol on the site. An alcohol licence had been granted but is not yet in force.

The council said that the majority of complaints about health and safety had proved to be unfounded but has identified a number of minor concerns.

Meanwhile, the RSPCA has launched a formal investigation after receiving calls from people worried about the treatment of animals at the attraction.

Hundreds of angry families have demanded that Lapland New Forest is closed down and are doing all they can to get their money back.

But the firm's booking line states it is still open for business.

“We are still going. The publicity we have had has not been good because we had a disastrous opening weekend but things are in place to correct it,” the Journal was told.

“Everything that could go wrong did go wrong and nothing went in our favour but now the ice rink is up and running and the fairground is working and is free of charge.”

Up to 50,000 people are believed to have pre-purchased tickets Complaints have flooded in about the attraction, which costs £30 per person or £100 for a family of four.

Visitors told how they had to queue for hours to see Santa, who was spotted smoking outside his “grotto”, how food, drink and toys ran out and Santa and his elves were involved in scuffles with furious visitors.

“They promised Lapland but what it really was were a few blowers puffing out fake snow on a bit of wasteland,” said James Wood of Amesbury, whose father-in-law paid more than £250 for 14 family members to go to the theme park.

Steve and Dawn Hall, of Empire Road, Salisbury, paid £100 to take their children, Ella, five, and 14-month-old Oscar to the attraction but, after queuing for an hour and a half, left without seeing Santa.

Mr Hall said: “It was awful, absolutely dreadful. My daughter was in tears and my son was freezing cold.”