Furious parents attack Santa and his elves as tempers fray at Winter 'blunderland' theme park

With its scrappy lights, huskies tethered in the mud and a broken iceskating rink, festive spirit is already in short supply at Lapland New Forest.



Now the elves have started brawling with the customers.



And Santa himself is nursing a punched nose after a disappointed visitor got tired of queuing in the mud to see him.



Elf and safety: A security guard and a 'happy elf' helper at the venue with park owner Henry Mears

Smile please: Santa meets a rare happy visitor

The park, featured in yesterday's Daily Mail, claims to offer families a magical festive experience. According to the scores of disgruntled visitors streaming out of the gates, experience is one word for it.



As tempers fray, it seems this little corner of Lapland, which opened on the Dorset-Hampshire border at the weekend, is going from mudbath to bloodbath.



One security guard, who obligingly told visitors at the gate they were about to be 'ripped off', quit after being hit on the head by one who didn't appreciate the advice.



Disappointing: A soft toy greets children and parents, as they near Santa's Grotto in his 'log cabin', after lining up for two hours or more

Santa's animal helpers.. a few bored looking huskies tethered next to their kennels in a muddy enclosure

Three elves - one a 17-year-old girl - are said to have been involved in violent confrontations.



And a child had to be comforted after arriving at Santa's grotto to find him puffing a cigarette outside.



The violent episodes came to light as it emerged that trading standards had received an 'unprecedented' 1,300 complaints about the park, now widely known as the 'Winter Blunderland' or the less polite 'Crapland'.



Challenging: The 'Nativity scene' could only be reached across a muddy field

Winter wonderland? A visitor makes the best of things as she is confronted by a model polar bear

For those still contemplating buying a £25 ticket, a glance at the Facebook social networking website should change their minds.



Five groups on the site with names such as 'Lapland New Forest Is A Rip-Off - Don't Go', 'Lapland New Forest is rubbish and not worth £25' and the classic 'Lapland Letdown' should get the message across.

By yesterday afternoon 1,500 people had joined these groups and the site was bristling with complaints. They ranged from 'the nativity looked like it was plonked in the middle of a war zone' to 'this is the biggest scam and waste of money since the poll tax'.



Trading Standards are investigating after the Christmas attraction was described by one disgruntled visitor as more like a car boot sale

Adrian Wood, 49, the security guard who quit after being smacked by a customer, was full of tales from the warzone.



Santa was punched by a furious father who had been waiting in line for four hours,' he said. 'He had got to the front only to be told he couldn't take a picture of his children and that they weren't allowed to sit on Santa's lap.



'The family were then told they would have to get in another queue to get their presents. That was the final straw.

Season's greetings: Parents should have known they were in for a disappointment when they saw this sign showing the way in

Visitors said the reindeer and huskies were penned or tethered and looked miserable

'And a girl working as an elf was slapped in the face by a woman who was angry that her children were disappointed. How there weren't riots I have no idea.'



Henry Mears, of Lapland New Forest Limited, claimed his staff were under siege.



'So far about six of our staff - three elves and three security - have been assaulted and all have been verbally abused,' he said.

The Donkeys scrape around looking for food in their bare pen. More than 250 families have vented their fury about the site on three Facebook groups

'One of our elves was slapped and had a pram pushed into her leg which has left a horrible bruise.'



But he was resolutely clinging on to his Christmas fantasy.



'I would like to point out that 95 per cent of the people who come to Lapland New Forest are extremely happy with it,' he said.

Fun for all the family: This is the so-called 'Tunnel of Light', which is actually just a tunnel of trees