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Brighton company behind 'winter blunderland' to go into liquidation

7:25pm Thursday 8th January 2009

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The company behind the controversial Lapland New Forest Christmas theme park is to go into liquidation.

The move, by the company's director Victor Mears, from Brighton, means that thousands of people may not get a refund for their tickets for the park dubbed a “winter blunderland”.

People paid up to £30 each to visit the site on the Hampshire-Dorset border which promised to be a snow-covered winter wonderland.

But families arrived to find a few sickly-looking animals and a fairground in a muddy field where customers queued for hours to pay £10 to see a Santa who lifted his beard to wipe his mouth while bewildered children sat on his knee.

The park shut after more than 5,000 people complained to Trading Standards about the “attraction”.

Ivan Hancock, Dorset Trading Standards divisional manager, said: "Members of the accounting and consulting firm Grant Thornton UK LLP have met with Victor Mears.

"Mr Mears has asked Grant Thornton to take steps to place his company into creditors' voluntary liquidation (effectively close down the company and handle any claims).

"We understand that two partners at Grant Thornton will be appointed as joint liquidators in due course.

"Once they have control of the company, customers will have the opportunity to lodge a claim against Lapland New Forest Limited."

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davyboy, abingdon, oxon says...
7:54pm Thu 8 Jan 09

if they are lucky, customers may get 10% of their money back. the rest will be in an offshore account some where

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Real Brightonian, Hove says...
8:14pm Thu 8 Jan 09

This is yet another example of what they call "the Phoenix effect" where legitimate busisneses are established and then the Principles clain liquidation Most people who have paid money to attend the "attraction" will rank as unsecured creditors and won't receive a penny, meanwhile the Principles will get away with "blue murder" live to fight another day. Justice? Yeh! right!

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GomerPyle, brighton says...
8:31pm Thu 8 Jan 09

Mr Vic Mears won't get away with this if all the customers insist their card providers make a chargeback - which is their right, defined by the FSA who regulate all UK financial institutions.
I'm using the MoneySavingExpert.co
m forum (I'm not associated with them at all) and I'll advise and guide anyone who needs assistance.
I'm not promoting anything, I'm just irritated by this whole scandal and anxious that those who set this up, get what they deserve - nothing.

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arguschunks, Brighton says...
9:07pm Thu 8 Jan 09

I think you'll find he probably will. All that happens with a chargeback is that the banks will shoulder the cost as they pay the plaintiff and have to chase the vendor for the money instead, ergo, he keeps the money as the banks can only hope to claim peppercorn return as another creditor to a liquidated company.

I strongly suggest that any financial advice should really come from a regulated financial advisor and not heresay or what one reads on the internet as it's too open to misinterpretation. If you're hoping that getting your money back from a bank "chargeback" means that this guy suffers in some way, you're very much mistaken, i'm afraid.

Banks write off larger amounts than this supposed £2m every day as it's often not worth pursuing, plus the FSA is really not the sharp-toothed protector of consumer liberty that you think it is, it's there solely to regulate the banks by providing guidelines, both fixed and flexible.

I do hope you all get your money back eventually, but this guy and his family will be doing it again before long. They know how the system works.

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GomerPyle, brighton says...
10:40pm Thu 8 Jan 09

I'm not offering financial advice at all. I'm pointing out a right that is backed by the Finacial Services Authority who are the regulatory body of all UK financial institutions. I won't dispute your points at length, suffice it to say that 40 years in the banking industry means I have some knowledge. If he doesn't pay then his bankers made a boo boo. If you have an alternative strategy (other than doing noting) let us in on the profoundness of your knowledge.

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Osama bin there, Brighton says...
11:01pm Thu 8 Jan 09

The way I see it is that it was a limited company, in which case he won't be personally liable for anything.
But he's cleared at least half a million quid by most people's reckoning.
There's something wrong with a crook like him being able to hide behind a law that wasn't designed to protect people like him.
The law needs changing.

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Dave At Home, Brighton says...
11:44pm Thu 8 Jan 09

Disgusting, most people would not be able to sleep at night but I bet Vic has no problems at all.

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RAS Putin, Brighton says...
2:35am Fri 9 Jan 09

O Noes. There goes Xmas 2009/10. We is devastated. Community service in the woods, anyone? Sec Phrase: half-stay; fnar fnar!

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CGull1, Brighton says...
7:43am Fri 9 Jan 09

What do you expect from that family!!!!!
I understand they also control a rather well known fruit and veg company!! Not FACT, but speculation. Read into that what you will.

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Joe Brown, And The Bruvers says...
8:21am Fri 9 Jan 09

I really like the dog kennel in the picture resting on a GKN Chep blue pallet.

Had the cost have been less, say £15 I would have gone for a laugh as it look hillarious.

£30 to see santa on gypsy site? those people must have been just plain stupid

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Made In Sussex, Not Brighton says...
8:44am Fri 9 Jan 09

Maybe those who have lost out should organise themsleves and pay Mr Mears a visit..

Liquidation is an intentional move designed for his company to get out of compensating anyone once and for all.

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Pontop Pike, Partridge Green says...
10:18am Fri 9 Jan 09

Made In Sussex wrote:
Maybe those who have lost out should organise themsleves and pay Mr Mears a visit.. Liquidation is an intentional move designed for his company to get out of compensating anyone once and for all.
Hmmn, not something I would recommend. My advice would be to learn a valuable lesson and not be so daft and gullible next time.

See Santa at your local dept store and support local legitimate business and trade.

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GomerPyle, brighton says...
11:13am Fri 9 Jan 09

Some councils make an effort to enforce standards, clearly Brighton doesn't. If you want to visit somewhere that holds reputable events Brighton clearly isn't the place to visit.

If you want a change - change the Council. Reputable traders have most to lose.

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tonyinbrighton, brighton says...
11:32am Fri 9 Jan 09

It isn't silly or stupid to spend a lot of money on a special treat for children at Christmas as some above have suggested. It just rubs salt into the wound to think the fraudsters behind this scam might get away with it. I'd have thought the victims should band together and launch a proper civil action against the persons involved.

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NoWaySeriously, Hove says...
11:39am Fri 9 Jan 09

told you so...

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Mr Tambourine Man, Magic swirli' ship says...
12:55pm Fri 9 Jan 09

Accoring to press reports at the time, the bank account set up to receive payments had been frozen by the bank.
Mears was reported at being rather upset.

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Made In Sussex, Not Brighton says...
2:01pm Fri 9 Jan 09

Hmmn, not something I would recommend. My advice would be to learn a valuable lesson and not be so daft and gullible next time.

Sounds to me like he isn not a very nioce person then!

I wasnt proposing anything illegal, but if enough people werer present plus the media outside his doorstep it would go some way to shaming this man and making more people more aware of him and his dodgy doings.


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BBBrighton, Brighton says...
2:33pm Fri 9 Jan 09

for all those customers who would like their money back, please send a cheque for £30 to BBBrighton c/o The Argus. Dont worry, your money will be used to get your original money back, hurry now, I need as much interest as possible before my plane leaves for Panama or urrm I mean before I can start proceedings.

The powers that be need to sort this mess out. Its all too easy for directors to squirrel & squander that cash and let the company go belly up, so common even Anthea Turner is doing it! And that is disgusting.

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dolphy, hanover says...
2:35pm Fri 9 Jan 09

GomerPyle, it wasn't in Brighton. It was in the New Forest, either Dorset or Hampshire. He lives in Saltdean, right on the edge of Brighton and Hove Council's jurisdiction, but he can live where he likes

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davyboy, abingdon, oxon says...
2:54pm Fri 9 Jan 09

GomerPyle wrote:
Some councils make an effort to enforce standards, clearly Brighton doesn't. If you want to visit somewhere that holds reputable events Brighton clearly isn't the place to visit.

If you want a change - change the Council. Reputable traders have most to lose.
the place wasn't in brighton, but on the Hants/Dorset border, and their trading stadards people are looking into the complaints. this had nothing to do with brighton, except for the fact that this disreputable family live there. the man is a crook, plain and simple. all his bank accounts and assets should be frozen until ALL refunds are made. you reckon that banks would write this amount off, but all the people who have been ripped off should be refunded through their card issuer, and then these issuers should take him to court.

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washedupwilly, Hove says...
6:38pm Fri 9 Jan 09

The whole of the Mears family are scum.

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Guerrero, Alicante says...
7:05pm Fri 9 Jan 09

Spencers not a bad lad.

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lester deakin, crawley says...
9:41pm Fri 9 Jan 09

i am in court at the moment and one of the prosecution witnesses is gavin tanner the accountant for blunderland he is also involved in a multimillion pound scam with others and they have all been given immunity from prosecution by the so called justice system that is there to protect us allthey make a mockery of the law and of many innocent people and the law does nothing so people dont rely on the law to help you get your money back try a scam yourselves and im sure the law will help you

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stan bailey, brighton says...
8:36am Sat 10 Jan 09

Joe Brown wrote:
I really like the dog kennel in the picture resting on a GKN Chep blue pallet.

Had the cost have been less, say £15 I would have gone for a laugh as it look hillarious.

£30 to see santa on gypsy site? those people must have been just plain stupid
Fantastic, I was wondering why Mrs Mears and the council wanted a travellers site at Whitehawk, we can have our own Winter Wonderland.

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youmeyou, Hove says...
3:46pm Sat 10 Jan 09

I think Mary Mears could resign as leader of Brighton and Hove City Council. I wonder how many members of her family are given contracts to do work for the council. No wonder this council is in such a mess.

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