Council worker told to remove Red Nose

Devon, UK - Road sweeper and fund raiser Peter Vickery has fallen foul of his council bosses — by sticking a Comic Relief red nose on his van.

South Hams Council did not see the funny side of his efforts to support the national charity event and told him he must take it off his road sweeper's van.

Pete had shelled out £2 for the large metallic red nose the size of a plate and thought he was making a Comic Relief statement and raising cash for needy causes at the same time.

But it was no joke when his council depot bosses spotted it and told him it had to go.

The authority says its vehicles cannot be personalised and cannot be seen to favour one charity over another.

Now Pete has been forced to transfer the sticker to his own car.

But he is furious that South Hams Council would not let him display it on the council-owned van he uses when he travels around Kingsbridge and the surrounding villages to carry out his street sweeping work.

"I was called into the office and told basically to take it off," said Peter, who lives in Kingsbridge, as he accused the authority of being too 'politically correct'.

"They said you couldn't have anything on the vans – no Union Jacks, not anything, even if it was for charity. I think that the council needs to humanise itself a bit more. It's lost contact and got too politically correct."

In the past workers at South Hams Council's Follaton House headquarters in Totnes have raised up to £200 taking part in sponsored events for Comic Relief.

On Comic Relief Day — Friday, March 13 — staff are staging a 'Wear Something Silly on Your Head' day to raise yet more cash.

Meanwhile, Pete claims he has had his red nose put out of joint as he added: "It seems all wrong. I had to take the red nose off and put it on my car which sits around in the depot all day so no one will see it.

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