Council Bans Santa From Chiswick High Road

Street traders told to remove giant model from the pavement outside Carvosso's

The giant cheery Santa model which has been a popular feature of Chiswick High Road outside Carvosso's, has been removed because of officialdom, on grounds of 'elf and safety'!

Susan and Jeffrey Baker, who run a market stall selling fruit and veg adjacent to Carvosso's, applied and received permission for a temporary street trader's licence to extend their pitch in order to sell Christmas trees as they do every year.

Santa is now hidden behind the railings outside Carvosso's

But when they put up the wooden Santa on the pavement, in order to bring some Christmas cheer to the display, a council official told them that the Santa had to be removed. They were told their street trader's licence did not include provision for an eight foot high Santa, only for Christmas trees. One local wag quipped that perhaps they needed another "claus" in the contract.

Since last Wednesday, Santa has now been 'behind bars' outside Carvosso's and is hidden away behind Christmas trees by day. He spends the night in a local shop.

The tree where Santa had been standing

Susan said, "Children love to have their photographs taken alongside Santa. A lot of people are very disappointed we had to remove him from under the tree. It wasn't blocking anyone walking along the path."

Several people took to the ChiswickW4.com forum to discuss the issue.

One commented, "The good folks on that market stall have been getting grief from Hounslow for years. The stall does a good job and a good service for us. My sympathies for them with their continuing battles with the jobsworths."

Another said " ...been there for years and the kids (and adults) love it. Really pathetic."

Local artist Bobby Osborne has also posted a picture of a Santa.

We have asked Hounslow Council for comment and will report back.

December 11, 2016