A mum says she and her children were left upset and disappointed after taking them to see Santa at the i360 in Brighton only to find out it had shut without notice.

Lauren Beale from Tunbridge Wells received a confirmation email on Sunday (December 22) morning - the day of her visit to the 162m tall tower.

However, when she arrived with her husband Andie and daughters, Poppy, three and Pearl, two, they found the doors locked and the site empty.

The 30-year-old had booked the Santa in the Sky experience in November and had received confirmation at the time.

The seaside attraction features a viewing pod which moves up and down, allowing spectators to get a 360-degree view of Brighton.

Lauren said the tickets had cost £62 to go inside and have a meet and greet with Father Christmas and his elves.

The evening before they were due to go they even received their e-tickets.

Lauren said: “Then at 8am Sunday I received my booking confirmation saying ‘We look forward to welcoming you today – please arrive 20 minutes early from your set-off time’.

“We travelled from Tunbridge Wells to Brighton – we left our house at 11am and got to Brighton at 12. We went for our lunch and sat around for a while.”

At 2.10pm they headed to the i360 but could see it was not moving up and down.

She said: “We got to the ticket office which looked closed but there were no signs anywhere saying otherwise. We thought ‘This all looks a bit quiet’, there were no decorations outside or anything.

“We walked down to the gift shop by the seafront where you are supposed to enter and the doors were locked with no one inside and the lights off.

“I had no clue it had closed but why would I? I’ve had no updates whatsoever and their website is actually still live…”

“Then we started seeing other families turn up with the exact same thing – everyone had received their booking confirmation the day before and in the morning as well.”

After ringing the number on the email with no answer, she did a Google search where she stumbled upon a news article saying the i360 had closed with immediate effect on Friday.

Lauren said: “I had no clue it had closed but why would I? I’ve had no updates whatsoever and their website is actually still live.

“It's the kids who have been let down more than anything and I just feel sorry for the families who were in the same position.

“I said to the kids ‘We have to say bye-bye to Santa – he is not here’ and they looked very upset.

“They looked bewildered and didn’t understand what was going on because they had promised it and then were let down.

“We only really do one thing for Christmas because obviously it is pricey and now everywhere is already booked out.”

The mum-of-two has called the situation “really upsetting” after being left £92 out of pocket from the tickets, fuel and parking expenses and doesn't know if she will get her money back.

“I have no way to contact them – I even commented on one of their Instagram pictures because Thursday they actually posted their Santa in the Sky experience and showed him going up the tower.

“I’ve even seen other people comment asking for refunds and no one has said anything.”

As well as the money lost, Andie had taken the day off work.

Lauren said: “Other people will be in the exact same position, even today because I think they are still running – they are going to go and be very disappointed like we were.”

At the end of November, PA news reported the i360 owed £51 million to Brighton and Hove City Council that helped set it up and faced a “real risk of closure” as it filed for insolvency.

Bosses of the seaside attraction blamed escalating costs, bad summer weather and the cost-of-living crisis as the reasons behind the decision.

Chairwoman of the viewing tower, Julia Barfield, said there was a “significant decline” in consumer spending across the UK and that the private company would work closely with the council throughout the process.

She added: “Additionally, we are working closely with the prospective administrators at Interpath to ensure the continued operation of the business during this period and to explore all potential avenues for restructuring.”

But on Friday, the i360 closed with immediate effect with 109 staff members made redundant

The council said it would conduct an investigation into the closure and the money owed.