Fury at wait to see Peppa's 30-second stint

Angry parents today branded an appearance in Telford by children's TV favourite Peppa Pig an organisational disaster which left some toddlers in floods of tears.

One couple who travelled 54 miles with their two youngsters to see Peppa in Telford Town Park yesterday said they were forced to pay £20 and queue for two hours to see just a 30-second appearance by the character.

The appearance had been advertised on posters displayed around the park and in local chip shops.

The posters made no mention of a charge to see the character but Peppa actually appeared in the Mitchell's Funfair in the park, to which visitors had to pay a £4.99 admission fee.

Louise Mason, who travelled to Telford from her home in Heath Hayes in Cannock, with her two daughters, aged two and three, said her husband agreed to take an extra day's leave so the family could make the trip.

She said they were shocked to be asked to pay to enter the fair to see Peppa. She said: "Luckily we just about had enough money and so we paid as we did not want to disappoint our eldest daughter.

"We then stood in a queue with other disgruntled parents for over an hour until our daughters got to see Peppa for 30 seconds, if that, and had their photo taken with her.

"By this time they were both exhausted and their early excitement had gone. The noise from the rides was starting to frighten our youngest child and she was in tears by the time she met Peppa."

Paul McMahon, of Horsehay in Telford, took his two boys, aged four and two, and his three-year-old daughter along to see Peppa. He said: "Our main complaint was paying £25, and not being able to go on any rides because we had to queue for two hours to see a character for 30 seconds."

Jenny Mitchell, of Mitchell's Funfairs, which was responsible for the appearance, said the admission fee entitled youngsters to go on all the fairground rides all day and Peppa had made five 40-minute appearances during the day.

She said: "Mention of the admission fee was made clear on leaflets distributed in and around the park but not on the big posters and we recognise that was a mistake."