Visitors to a new £2 million attraction in London are being offered refunds just one day after it opened after it was branded a 'slag heap'.
It comes after the 25-metre Marble Arch Mound was mocked online and some visitors claimed they couldn't see the promised views of iconic London neighbourhoods.
Parts of the man-made mountain in central London are “not yet ready for visitors”, Westminster Council said, adding it was “sorry for the delay”.
The authority said it is working to resolve issues “over the next few days”.
Anyone who booked a ticket for the first week will be contacted and offered a refund as well as a free ticket to come when it is ready "so they can see the mound at its best".
Tickets cost £4.50 and is meant to give visitors views of the capital's Oxford Street, Hyde Park, Mayfair and Marylebone.
Some visitors were quick to say the multi-million mound was not up to scratch.
Marketing expert Dan Barker, who visited on Tuesday, said the original drawings and the marketing description "do not quite match reality."
Tourist hotspot Hyde Park is obscured by trees, he added, while visitors looking east "overlook an odd area full of rubble."
One woman shared a series of photos of the view, adding: "Marble Arch Mound is the worst thing I've ever done in London."
The mound, planned by Dutch architect company MVRDV, is part of the city's plans to increase the number of people coming into the shopping district as lockdown restrictions have eased.
However, complaints about the mound, which is meant to run until January 2022, have gone viral since it opened.
One social media user joked: "You cannot tell me the Marble Arch mound doesn’t look like the first level in Mario 64."
Sign up for our daily newsletter to keep up to date with all the essential information at www.mirror.co.uk/email .
"This looks so so mediocre. Especially when for £16 you could jump in a black cab from Marble Arch to Primrose Hill and see a far better view," added another.
A third jokily tweeted: "Is this a joke or have the Tories really built a 2 million quid slag heap by Marble Arch?"
Westminster Council said in a statement: “We are aware that elements of the Marble Arch Mound are not yet ready for visitors.
“We are working hard to resolve this over the next few days.
“In light of the delay, we are offering anybody who has booked a visit during the first week a return ticket free of charge so that they can enjoy the full experience including the Lightfield art installation, M&S Food, and the landscape once it has had time to bed in and grow.
“People who visited the mound today, and people who are booked for the rest of the week (including the weekend), will be contacted and offered a refund and a free return ticket so they can see the mound at its best.
“Anyone who has booked a visit this week can go up the mound as planned and then still take advantage of the free return ticket.
“The mound is a living building by design. We’ll continue to adapt and improve London’s newest outdoor attraction and resolve any teething problems as they emerge.
“We’re sorry for the delay and look forward to welcoming visitors when they’re ready to enjoy all the mound has to offer.”
