A local photography company has certainly made a "lasting impression'' on disappointed parents of St. George's Preparatory School students.

Lasting Impressions Ltd. visited the St. George's school last November to photograph the students and, so parents assumed, return the developed prints in time for Christmas.

However, almost three months later the parents of the schoolchildren have not received the photos they paid for and have tried to contact the company themselves to find out what is happening.

"We were told it was due to a technical problem with their computer and that the photos would be ready in January,'' said concerned mother Jane Burrows.

"Then we were told the photos would be at the school on Monday, after the half-term holidays, but we still haven't received them.'' The staff at St. George's Preparatory suggested parents phone Lasting Impressions Ltd. directly with their complaints as no contract existed between the school and the photography company.

Some parents who have had their children's school photos taken by the same company in the past expressed surprise at the delay, saying the developed prints had been returned extremely quickly on previous occasions.

Yesterday, Lasting Impressions spokesman Todd Martin told The Royal Gazette the company had indeed been experiencing serious technological difficulties with its specialised equipment.

But he promised to have the photographs delivered to the school by today.

"We have had difficulties with the people who service our systems,'' Mr.

Martin said "And then all our three computers crashed at the same time, leaving us to play catch-up and not being able to get the photographs to the parents.'' He said the reputable US company, with which Lasting Impressions Ltd. entered into business, led the local firm to overestimate the capabilities of the digital equipment used to produce the photographs.

This situation led to the management of Lasting Impressions Ltd. making promises it was unable to keep.

"We anticipated we would get the photos back within a month,'' Mr. Martin said about the St. George's Preparatory School photographs. "But the situation snowballed and we were unable to do so.'' However, he said he had spoken with the headmistress and agreed to have the long-awaited photographs at the school by today.

Mr. Martin added Lasting Impressions Ltd. had since undergone managerial changes and he could guarantee that this type of situation would not occur in the future.