A SIX-YEAR-OLD girl had to spend a little longer with Santa than anticipated after the doors of the i360 trapped her family inside the attraction.

Father Christmas had to comfort Lily-Star Taylor for 20 minutes yesterday after her mother and siblings were stuck inside the viewing pod.

As the pod had returned to ground level she had walked out – only for the doors to suddenly close, trapping her family and others inside.

Her mother Stephanie Phillips, 26, said staff were rude and offered no apology or refund after the technical hitch ruined her family’s Christmas treat.

She said: “It was disgusting. The doors shut suddenly and we were all locked inside for about 20 minutes.”

A spokeswoman for the i360 said: “We are in touch with the customer and have offered our apologies.

“Our team also apologised at the time and the family were offered free drinks on the pod while the child was read a story by Father Christmas and his elf in full view of the parents.

“The doors were closed for approximately 10 minutes.

“We have since tested the doors and they are operating normally.”

Mrs Phillips had brought her five children and her partner for one of the i360’s Santa trips where children can see Father Christmas and an elf on a flight up the tower.

After the 2pm flight returned to earth, most of the passengers, including Lily-Star, got out.

But just as Mrs Phillips’ daughter Maisie was pushing four-month-old Albie towards the door in Albie’s pushchair, the doors closed and her mother had to pull the children away.

The family was stuck inside while Lily-Star was outside with Santa and his elf.

Staff reassured those trapped on board that the doors would be opened manually. Mrs Phillips said it took customer service staff around 30 minutes to get the pod’s doors opened.

She said a manager on the outside of the pod had to give advice through a radio to the British Airways-themed flight attendants on the inside. They then used a screwdriver to access panels beneath the floorboards, she said.

This summer the attraction faced criticism after several technical hitches affected its opening season, including a two-week period during which it got stuck or closed on three occasions.