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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Organisers cancel Lapland event | Organisers cancel Lapland event |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| A Lapland-style attraction which attracted concerns from the local county council has not opened. | A Lapland-style attraction which attracted concerns from the local county council has not opened. |
| Lapland West Midlands, which was due to open near Essington, Staffordshire, promised "an enchanting experience" with huskies, reindeer and an ice show. | Lapland West Midlands, which was due to open near Essington, Staffordshire, promised "an enchanting experience" with huskies, reindeer and an ice show. |
| A notice on the promoter's website said it was not opening due to bad publicity and lack of ticket sales. | |
| The county council had said it was extremely concerned about the event and that promises would go unmet. | The county council had said it was extremely concerned about the event and that promises would go unmet. |
| 'A few tents' | |
| A statement on Lapland West Midlands website said: "Due to bad publicity and lack of ticket sales, we regret that Lapland West Midlands will not be opening as planned on 6 December 2008 and the event has been cancelled." | A statement on Lapland West Midlands website said: "Due to bad publicity and lack of ticket sales, we regret that Lapland West Midlands will not be opening as planned on 6 December 2008 and the event has been cancelled." |
| All those who had bought tickets will get a refund, the statement said. | All those who had bought tickets will get a refund, the statement said. |
| The website for the attraction says it is "nothing to do with Lapland New Forest" which closed down earlier in the week after some visitors' criticisms were featured in the media. | The website for the attraction says it is "nothing to do with Lapland New Forest" which closed down earlier in the week after some visitors' criticisms were featured in the media. |
| Councillor Carol Dean, from Staffordshire County Council, visited the Essington site and said it did not look much like a winter wonderland as it was just a few tents in a field. | |
| "We have come along to see what they have got and if it had opened we would have been able to shut it down because they didn't have the appropriate permission," she said. | |
| "Our officers would have come along and said the event couldn't go ahead." | |
| Earlier, the council said reindeer could only be moved onto the site by holders of special permits and it was "not aware that such permits exist". | |
| The location's suitability for a large amount of traffic was also questioned by the council. | |
| On Thursday, South Staffordshire District Council said the event did not have an entertainment licence, which it would need if it went ahead as described on its website. |