An America-inspired drive-in cinema costing £27 a ticket set to show old festive films has been cancelled at the last minute.

The Drive-In Company’s event at Quex Park in Birchington was set to take place over the weekend – but was called off last night due to “heavy rain”.

In October last year, the Ramsgate-based firm ditched a similar Halloween event at Manston Airport with horror movies due to poor ticket sales.

The “deeply saddened” organisers say they pulled the plug on this year’s event due to muddy ground and promised to refund customers.

Responding to The Drive-In Company’s public statement today, some residents claimed the proposed ticket prices were too high.

The firm said: “We are deeply saddened to announce that we must cancel our upcoming Christmas Drive-In Cinema due to adverse weather conditions.

“The recent heavy rainfall has left the ground at this year's location extremely muddy, making it unsafe for both building the video screens and for vehicles driving onto the field.

“Your safety and the protection of your cars are our top priorities, and unfortunately, running the event under these conditions simply isn't possible.

“We explored options to address the muddy ground, such as laying track mats across the field, but with current ticket sales, this wasn't financially viable for such a large area.

“We understand this news will be disappointing, and we're truly sorry for any inconvenience, especially for those who had this event planned for their festive celebrations.”

They went on to reassure ticket holders refunds would be sent “in the coming weeks” and asked for patience while they sort through customer's details.

The statement posted on Facebook continued: “While this is not the outcome we hoped for, we remain optimistic and plan to host another drive-in cinema during the Easter holidays when the ground conditions are more suitable.

“Thank you for your understanding, and we wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

“We look forward to seeing you in the spring.”

Christmas classics such as Elf, Home Alone and The Holiday were set to be shown, with tickets priced at £27.50, including a booking fee, for one vehicle with up to five people.

One Facebook user claimed the ticket prices were “stupid money” for a “film they have already seen”.

Another added: “Unfortunately, not the first time this kind of event has been cancelled, but I think that was due to not enough tickets sold.

“They are quite pricey to be fair.”

But others voiced their disappointment at the news, with one person writing: “Shame it couldn’t be moved to Manston runway - plenty of hard standing there”.

“Gutted,” wrote another, followed by a message saying: “I haven’t seen it advertised otherwise would have looked at buying tickets.”

All other Christmas events at the park, such as The Elf Express and Reindeer Experience, are running as usual.