IT'S a decision likely to make the March Hare seem sane.

A night time festive event has been scrapped by health and safety bosses – because it was being held in the dark.

The plug has been pulled on the ironically named Alice in Winter Wonderland festival in the New Forest after council safety chiefs said it was too dangerous unless the whole event was flooded with light. They feared they could be sued if anyone had an accident as they enjoyed the event, that would have been lit by Christmas fairy lights.

Now the decision has been dubbed “Alice in Blunderland” and the council has been accused of behaving like a “Madhatter’s tea party.”

The event was due to be held at the New Forest council headquarters at Appletree Court, Lyndhurst, on December 5-6, finishing after dark on both days. But civic leaders have pulled the plug after the cost of hiring lights and taking other measures to guarantee public safety spiralled past the £1,000 that had been set aside for the event.

The night would have featured fairy lights and characters dressed as Alice in Wonderland characters, plus Santa in his grotto.

David Harrison, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition group, said: “This does seem more like Alice in Blunderland than Alice in Wonderland.

“Scrapping the event because of a failure to app-reciate the need for basic health and safety facilities reflects very badly on the council, which will be likened to the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.”

Alice in Winter Wonderl-and would have been the council’s contribution to the Alice Adventure festival, launched in May.

Council corporate communications boss Dave Atwill said: “We wanted to take advantage of the darkness and make it as magical as we could for the kids. However, our safety manager said we’d have to flood the area with light, otherwise the risk to public safety would be too high.”

The decision was backed by council leader Barry Rickman: “I think everybody went in to it with good intentions but with safety and security we have to do the right thing.”

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