A mother-of-three said she is “absolutely heartbroken and disgusted” after Father Christmas told her autistic son he was on his ‘naughty list’ because he was jumping up and down in the queue to see him at the High Wycombe Christmas switch on.

Kayliegh Taylor’s five-year-old son, Dylan, has autism and sensory processing disorder and was excited and a “bit impatient” to see Santa in his sleigh at the switch on on Thursday, November 17.

However, when he got to the front of the queue, Father Christmas mistakenly thought he was misbehaving and told the little boy he was a “very naughty boy” – leaving him in tears.

In a Facebook post, Ms Taylor said going to see Santa was a “big step” for her son, who last year was “petrified of the thought of a strange man coming into his house at night.”

She said: “I was so pleased he wanted to meet him this year. It was noisy and lots going on, he was getting a bit impatient but also excited to see Father Christmas.

“However, Father Christmas saw him flapping in the queue and pulling me to try to get to him, and making a bit of noise. When it was Dylan's turn, he asked him his name, to which Dylan proudly told him his full name, to then be met with the response, ‘well Dylan, I know you are a very naughty boy and I'm afraid you are on the naughty list.’

“My son burst into tears, and wanted to leave town, we have had absolute heartbreaking sobs and crying for the last hour. He now says he doesn't want Father Christmas to come to him and he doesn't want anything from him.”

Oliver O’Dell, Chief Executive HWBIDCo, which organised the switch on event, said he was aware of the social media post but had not received any formal complaint.

He said: “Everyone who attends this event is important, from the schools and groups that perform on stage to the parents and children that turn out in the rain after school to support their town. We don’t want any child to have a negative experience and are sorry that this was the case.

“Father Christmas has an enhanced DBS check and is briefed to treat every child equally, unless the parent advises him otherwise. He uses simple, non-judgemental, language and asks the traditional question about behaviour of both the child and their accompanying adult.

“The answer, and accompanying response from the adult, will dictate the conversation. Everything is deliberately kept light-hearted with a number of photo opportunities.

“We are confident in our due-diligence and the process that we follow to ensure a successful event for all members of the public.

“We would be happy to take the time to talk directly to any individuals who have concerns about the town centre event that took place on November 17.”