Plans for a three-day Christmas market in Dorchester’s Borough Gardens have been dropped – after failing to win enough support.

The event was to have been put on by the town council working with partners Dorset Food & Drink and Weldmar Hospicecare.

“After reviewing the likely costs and income from the operation of a Christmas market and lights in the Borough Gardens in December this year, the partners involved in the project, have decided not to proceed,” said a statement from town clerk Adrian Stuart.

He says the decision took account of feedback from potential traders about the logistics of running a three-day event as well as concerns over a lack of interest from sponsors and uncertainty around income from visitors, the surplus generated would not be sufficient for all the effort involved in putting the event on.

Said Mr Stuart: “We’re all obviously very disappointed that we can’t make this project work. All of the partners have put a lot of work into generating ideas for how we could introduce a new audience to a high quality food, drink, arts and crafts event in the Borough Gardens during the winter, but it would be wrong to go ahead if we don’t have the confidence that we can deliver a market that is attractive to visitors and profitable to both traders and the organisers.”