THE brothers who ran the Lapland New Forest theme park could have made more than £1million by misleading thousands of customers, a court heard.

Visitors to the park at Matchams near Ringwood were offered a winter wonderland with snow-covered log cabins, a nativity scene, husky dogs and polar bears, as well as a bustling Christmas market.

But instead visitors experienced fairy lights hung from trees and a broken ice rink.

Within days of the attraction opening in November 2008, hundreds of disgruntled visitors to the park, including many from south and west Dorset, complained to Trading Standards they had been ripped off, Bristol Crown Court heard yesterday.

Brothers Victor Mears, 67, of Selsfield Drive, and Henry Mears, 60, of Coombe Road, both in Brighton, face five charges of engaging in a commercial practice which is a misleading action and three charges of engaging in a commercial practice which is a misleading omission. They deny all the charges.

The court was told that the attraction closed after less than a week, with its owners blaming the media and sabotage from “New Forest villains” for the decision.

With visitors charged £30 a ticket and with up to 10,000 advance bookings online, the owners were set to make £1.2million, prosecutor Malcolm Gibney told the court.

Opening the prosecution case, Mr Gibney said the brothers advertised the attraction on the park’s own website, in newspapers and with flyers.

“The website promised a festive scene and set out what sort of things there would be available to see, if they were in attendance,” he said. “It was described as being a winter wonderland.” Mr Gibney added that, in bold type, the website stated: “The attention to detail of our theme park will truly wow you.”

The prosecutor continued: “The event opened on the weekend of November 30 and by the following Monday, December 1, complaints were flowing into Dorset Trading Standards.

“In particular the complaints were that the event did not meet the description set out on the website and the various forms of advertising material.”

He added that it attracted “ a lot of negative publicity” and closed on December 4, with the company behind it going into liquidation. Mr Gibney showed the jury pictures Trading Standards officers had taken of the theme park, which showed muddy fields and the “lightest possible dusting of snow” covering the log cabins.

The court heard that Victor Mears was the company’s sole director but was being assisted by his younger brother, who was managing Lapland, and who was responsible for the promotion of the event.

The trial continues.