PARENTS have been frustrated by an IT glitch which left the ticket line for the annual Dublin Zoo Santa Breakfast going straight into voicemail.

Parents under pressure to secure tickets for the highly sought-after Santa event rang the ticket line as soon as it opened at 9.30am on Monday morning. But the early-bird buyers dialling the dedicated ticket line reached a voicemail.

The message simply told them the dates the tickets would be on sale but didn't allow them to book.

The event is a highlight in the Christmas calendar of many kids but places are limited and parents were desperately trying to get ahead of the crowd by booking immediately after tickets went on sale.

However, an IT glitch left mum and dads in the dark and anxiously ringing the ticket line.

In Dublin Zoo's newsletter, Zoo Matters Autumn 2008, the Santa Breakfast booking line was given and it was stated that it would be up and running from 9.30am to 3pm from bank holiday Monday Oct 27 until Friday Oct 31.

Festive

However, on Monday there was only a voicemail at the other end of the line stating that ticket sales would open that day.

One mother, Carmel Doyle, rang six times over the course of the bank holiday but could not get through to book tickets for the festive event.

Yesterday, the mother had more success and got through to the ticket line and left a message. "What I'm afraid of now is that I'm going to get a call and I'll be told that it's full," she said.

Ms Doyle said that she went to the Santa Breakfast at the zoo last year and that it is a great event. The kids get to eat their breakfast in the Meerkat Restaurant, meet Santa and get a present. After an anxious wait over Monday and a lot of Tuesday, she got the news that her tickets had been booked.

"Once you tell kids that you are going to the zoo to see Santa then you have to go," she said.

A spokesperson for Dublin Zoo said that the ticket line has been working normally since Tuesday. She said if the lines were busy it was important that people leave their name and number and zoo staff will contact them.

"There was an IT problem over the weekend but this has now been rectified and the phone lines are working as normal," she said. "The demand is very high so staff are picking up as many calls as possible. Due to the large volumes of calls coming through, callers may be transferred to an answering machine but callers are encouraged to leave a voice message with their details and a Dublin Zoo staff member will ring them back."

She said a number of zoo staff will only be answering ticket calls this week.

Tickets for the Santa Breakfast cost zoo members €25 for children and €15 for adults. Non-members will have to pay €30 for children and €20 for adults. The booking line phone number is 01 4748908. It is open between 9.30am and 3.00pm.

- Sarah Neville