Theft halts opening of Halloween light trail

Forestry England said the theft "made it impossible" to open the attraction on Thursday evening

A country park was forced to cancel a Halloween event on its opening evening after essential equipment was stolen.

Moors Valley Country Park in Ashley Heath, Dorset, announced it was unable to open the Halloween illuminated trail on Thursday as planned.

Forestry England said the trail had been affected by a "significant theft" and apologised to those affected. It said providers would contact people who had tickets for Thursday's trail via email.

The park said its team had managed to rectify the issue and the trail would open as planned on Friday evening and also expected all other dates to go ahead.

A Forestry England spokesperson said the theft "made it impossible to open the attraction on Thursday as planned".

Announcing the illuminated trail, deep in the woods, was back up and running on Friday, it said: "We look forward to welcoming customers to the forest for a fantastically spooky night out."

The wider country park and forest was unaffected and remained open as normal following the theft.

On Sunday, a power cut in the area meant its car park, visitor centre and all facilities were temporarily closed until mid-afternoon.