A FORMER worker at Lapland New Forest has lifted the lid on what went on behind the scenes at the troubled Christmas theme park.

Daryl James, 23, of Amethyst Road, Christchurch, worked there as an elf and photographer’s helper for four days before his employment agency pulled out all its workers after an elf was slapped.

Daryl told the Daily Echo: “People were complaining the whole time we were there and having a go at us. I thought it was a rip off.

“They had a 16-year-old girl working as security on the gate into the fun fair. I was talking to her and she said she had lots of irate people shouting at her.

“One person started shouting at me and I just told him I was trying to do my job.

“I had some more angry people when I had to put signs up outside Santa’s grotto saying ‘no cameras allowed, only professional photos’. You can imagine people were upset about that.”

During their initial induction, he says workers were told that if anyone complained they should “make up a reaction and run”.

Daryl added: “I thought it would be really nice to work there but it was nothing like the website at all.

“On the Sunday, Henry Mears went down to Bournemouth all day to lay low while everybody else was trying to do their jobs.”

Another elf, Emma Craven, has told how she was slapped by a customer.

Daryl said: “I came out a few minutes after it happened and saw her standing there crying.

“I went to speak to her and she said someone had asked how much longer they were going to have to queue and she said ‘about another hour’.

“Apparently a man grabbed her by the throat and his girlfriend slapped her round the face.”

Daryl himself will now struggle to afford Christmas as he has not been able to find another job, he said.

He added: “I think it’s pretty disgusting, especially for the people who saw Santa smoking – and a couple of people said he was also drinking at the bar.

“I was just shocked by all of it.

“You could hardly see the reindeer because they were in the wooded bit. Everybody I worked with said it was appalling. It wasn’t fair on the customers.”