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Samantha Clarkson, 47, and five friends had dressed in the 7ft-tall inflatable outfits to keep their children entertained during lockdown. However, one man approached them to ask if they had a permit – and he duly called police, reports Manchester Evening News.

And the group reluctantly left Moss Bank Park in Bolton, Greater Manchester, on Saturday.

Samantha, who is a childminder, said: “We were having a wonderful time and kids were loving it, then we found out some idiot had phoned the police, I couldn’t believe it.

“We were just trying to cheer some kids up after such a miserable year, we weren’t hurting anyone.

“We had no choice but to leave because we didn’t want to risk getting arrested, although watching the police chase six dinosaurs would have been funny.

“He rang the police, which is when we knew we had to leave. We didn’t want to get arrested or anything.

“It was such a shame because the kids haven’t had much to do over the past 12 months, which is why we wanted to go out in the outfits.”

We were just trying to cheer some kids up after such a miserable year, we weren’t hurting anyone

Samantha Clarkson

Members of the public – including families – watched on in awe as Samantha and her pals moved through the park in the costumes.

Prior to visiting the park, Samantha posted on Facebook to let locals know so that they could attend with their kids.

But the “idiot” approached them after about 90 minutes, Samantha said.

The mum-of-three said: “At first it was like he was just interested in what we were doing, he was asking questions.

“But then he said, ‘have you got a permit?’

“Everyone was being sensible anyway, there were no problems at all.

“The idea was just to give people a bit of a laugh, and it was going really well until this man rang the police.”

Samantha, of Darwen, Lancashire, was “so angry” about the altercation with the man she “couldn’t sleep” on Saturday night.

So, on Sunday, she and the same mates donned the outfits, purchased for between £35 and £40 on Amazon, to return to the same park.

And the outfits, which come equipped with power packs so the suits can be inflated, impressed more families on Sunday.

Samantha said: “I didn’t want to let that man decide what we could and couldn’t do, so Dean and I headed back out in the outfits.

“We had a great time and the kids loved it.”

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