A Breckland farm attraction says it could be forced to "close for good" unless a long-running licensing saga is resolved before the school holidays.

Melsop Farm Park, at Scoulton, near Watton, has been temporarily shut since June 9 while its owners work to comply with Breckland Council's requirements for putting their animals on public display.

The licensing logjam dates back to summer 2021. A zoo licence application was withdrawn six weeks ago due to rising costs, and replaced with an exhibition application.

Breckland Council said the documents were not fully submitted until the end of June 2023 - and it had previously advised that a licence would take about 10 weeks to process "because of the technicalities involved".

An inspection has been scheduled for August 8 which could allow the park to reopen.

But co-owner Jordan Stone said this was too late for the park to capitalise on its peak summer holiday season - potentially leading to a "devastating" permanent closure, job losses and the rehoming of its collection of rare farm animals.

"We are fast approaching an untenable position," he said. "We can’t afford to keep the farm park going if we are closed for any longer.

"With each passing day we are another step closer to being forced to close for good, which would sadly include the loss of jobs.

"If Breckland cannot bring the inspection forward, we will end up needing to rehouse our collection of rare breed animals."

Steve James, executive director at Breckland Council, said officers had "worked tirelessly" for two years to ensure the park is properly licensed.

He said the council was "legally obliged" to issue a closure notice in May 2023, which "could (and should) have been avoided" if the owners had followed advice given during the preceding two years.

"Having finally received Melsop Farm Park’s application for an exhibition licence at the end of June 2023, the council is currently in the process of carrying out all necessary assessments, including arranging for a specialist vet to inspect the site and verify that the business is meeting all animal welfare standards," he said.

"We continue to engage with Melsop Farm Park to support their potential reopening as soon as possible after their licence application has been determined."