Who wants to live next to this for the next month? 30ft inflatable Santa is strapped to pub roof (and high winds mean it's ripping out tiles)
By James White
Last updated at 4:57 PM on 8th December 2011
It was a grand gesture intended to spread a little Christmas cheer.
But people living near this pub could be forgiven if they were left a little concerned by a 30ft-tall inflatable Santa that is rocking the building to its foundations.
The Christmas display - the same size as a house - has been put on the Old Manor pub in Potters Bar, Herts.
Christmas-mad landlord Andrew Marler, 58, says the fierce winds of recent days has caused it to rip tiles from the roof and pull its mooring bolts out of the walls.
Ho oh no! The inflatable Santa dominates the skyline above the Manor Pub in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire
Despite the damage Andrew is determined to keep his £3,000 decoration, which lights up at night and is so big is can been seen by passing planes.
He said: 'When it is really windy it causes the whole pub to violently shake from side to side and makes a deafening creaking noise.
'The first time I heard it I got quite a shock it sounded like a wooden galleon rocking in a storm.
'It once created so much force that it actually ripped the mooring ropes out of the walls.
'We had to replace the bolts with larger ones.
'Every time a gust blows the Santa roars up to in the air.'
The giant Santa is the biggest inflatable Christmas decoration available in the UK.
The 100kg Father Christmas needed six men to lift it on to the roof and is held in place by six shipping ropes.
We love Christmas! Andrew Marler left, Managing Director and Antony Horton-Tilley, Operations Director at The Manor Pub
The Christmas inflatable has four LED lights inside and four spotlights on the roof surrounding it, which were fitted by three electricians.
Andrew 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 spokesman 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.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2071679/Huge-inflatable-Santa-strapped-pub-roof-high-winds-mean-ripping-tiles.html#ixzz1fz8j6yVy
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