Michael Jackson memorial will not take place at Neverland

A memorial service for Michael Jackson is now likely to take place in Los Angeles, it emerged last night, after the family ruled out a public wake at the star’s Neverland ranch.

A worker at the Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos, where new double  wreaths of 1,200 white roses and 300 white orchids were hung on  Wednesday.

It is thought that the logistics of handling tens of thousands of mourners at the remote estate in rural Santa Barbara County, 130 miles from Los Angeles, proved too complicated. A permit for a burial at the site could also not be issued in time.

Reports of a lying-in-state for Jackson at Neverland surfaced on Tuesday as estate staff began preparations. Last night a spokesman for the Jackson family said that there were no plans for private or public services at the estate but that plans for a public memorial would be announced soon. These could take place at the 20,000-seat Staples Center or the bigger Los Angeles Coliseum, the main venue for the 1984 Olympic Games.