It’s eleven and security has gone crazy! Grinch City BAN festive taxi driver from wearing Santa beard ‘for the safety of the public’
- Taxi driver, Brian Makwana, 37, dressed as Santa Claus to spread festivity
- The South Kesteven District Council told him not to wear a Santa beard for security reasons
- A passenger complained that they couldn’t identify Brian
- To get around the ban, he colored his normal beard with white hairspray
An irate taxi driver has criticized the grinch council busters after they banned him from wearing a Santa beard over fears for health and safety.
Brian Makwana, celebrating his 38th birthday Christmas Day, dressed as Santa Claus to cheer up his customers.
To complete the look, the father-of-three sported a white beard, but now Town Hall Scrooges has ordered him to remove it “for the safety of the public.”
The bizarre statement came after a passenger complained to the council that they couldn’t identify Brian because the beard covered his features.
Taxi driver, Brian Makwana (pictured), 37, was not allowed to dress up as Santa Claus as he tried to cheer up his customers
Brian, who works for CB Taxis in Grantham, Lincolnshire, was told the rules required his face to match his official ID.
Despite wearing a face mask to work for two years during the Covid pandemic, the South Kesteven District Council banned his festive beard.
Brian now says he will be forced to scrap his ‘Santa Taxi’, which he would drive around town until the New Year.
He said, ‘It just doesn’t have the same effect without the full costume.
“I get waves from the crowd on the street and in cars, young and old.
Brian now says he will be forced to scrap his ‘Santa Taxi’ which he hoped would take across Lincolnshire over Christmas and New Year
“But since I don’t wear my beard, I don’t get anything because they think it’s a person wearing a Santa hat.”
“After all, it was council and government advice about wearing a mask and this was considered acceptable, so what’s the difference, since you can see my eyes and the side of my face?”
The taxi driver also said that the size of his photo on his badge is only visible if a customer leans in or asks for it, which he says “never happened.”
In an attempt to get around the beard ban, Brian colored his normal beard with white hairspray, but it “flakes a lot and doesn’t last very long.”
Despite running into the “elf and security” bummer, Brian says he’s “determined to keep putting smiles on people’s faces.”
In an attempt to get around the beard ban, Brian colored his normal beard with white hairspray
He said, “It makes me feel like some people need more Christmas cheer to help them because they feel so bad or down to complain about something like that.”
Brian received an email from the South Kesteven District Council licensing team after they received one complaint.
The council said their ‘intention is not to spoil the festivities’, but that ‘the safety of the public should always come first’.
A spokesman said: ‘The photo on a driver identification badge gives passengers reassurance when needed.
“That’s why we ask that any item of clothing that makes it difficult to identify a driver be not worn.”