Britain’s biggest Santa has been torn off the pub roof it was fastened to.
The 30ft blow up Christmas decoration – which is the size of a house – had been pulling tiles and bolts out of the roof of The Old Manor bar, in Potters Bar, Herts., in the wind.
Yesterday (Fri) it emerged gales brought the huge father Christmas crashing down off the roof on Thursday night.
Pub bosses were alerted to the danger when drinkers spotted the Santa WAVING at them through the window.
The festive inflatable, which is so big it can be seen by passing planes, has now been taken down so its puncture can be fixed.
Despite the struggle manager Darren De Hoy has had keeping the Santa on his roof, he said he hoped to have it strapped back to the pub and lit by last night (Fri).
He said: ”I was behind the bar when I suddenly saw Santa’s sack flapping against the window.
”I can’t believe what a fuss it’s caused. Everyone seems to love a giant Santa.”
The giant Santa is the biggest inflatable Christmas decoration available in the UK.
The 100 kilo Father Christmas needed six men to lift it on to the roof and is held in place by six shipping ropes.
The Christmas inflatable has four LED lights inside and four spotlights on the roof surrounding it, which were fitted by three electricians.
Landlord Andrew Marler, 58, believes it has been worth every penny, proving a hit with surrounding families, who have started taking a detour to take in the festive sight.
He said: ”We are very careful, we now make sure he comes down when the gales pick up – we don’t want him floating to Lapland with our roof.
”Children ask their parents to take detour on their way home from school to look at it and commuters can see if from the train.
”One lady even came in to say she saw it from an aeroplane when she was flying back from Alicante, Spain.”
A spokeswoman from Hertsmere Borough Council said no planning permission is required for the inflatable because it is only temporary and is not breaking any rules as long as it remains safe.
Aw, I’m sure a lot of people have taken pictures of it! Of course, the kids would love this giant Santa!! There might be a video of it posted somewhere in the net. That would look great, especially at night when it lights up. There should be a lot of gifts surrounding him too!! 😀