THE HENGISTBURY Head land train and Land Rover services have been cancelled until the spring.

Operators have confirmed that transport between the Hungry Hiker cafe and the beach huts at Mudeford Sandbank will not resume this winter.

The popular land train transports thousands of people every year but has been plagued by problems since an accident in 2018.

A cyclist was injured when two carriages broke loose from one of the old Noddy trains which used to operate at the site.

The trains were replaced by more modern land trains but problems arose around a year ago due to staff shortages and faults.

The trains ran for a few days at the beginning of the year before coronavirus restrictions stopped the service.

The Land Rover was used during the school summer holidays but was only allowed to transport luggage for people staying in the beach huts.

In a statement on Facebook, the operators said: "With the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions and the need to socially distance, we are unable to run either the train or the Land Rover service this winter, without our staff and customers having to come in close contact with each other.

"It is therefore with regret that the whole service will be closed for the winter, however, we are looking forward to re-start our services in the spring when hopefully the current situation will have improved."