Santa sacked for being too nice to children

London - A British Santa got the sack and was booted out of his grotto by bouncers for spending too long chatting to children.

It was more "Go! Go! Go!" than "Ho! Ho! Ho!" for actor Alan Seymour, 57, who was told to clear off when he refused to stick to a strict 30-second time limit with each Santa-loving child, the Daily Mirror said Saturday.

The sessions cost 17.50 pounds (26 euros, 30.70 dollars) each. The actor was accused of losing customers because bored children were spending too long queuing up for the grotto.

Seymour, complete with white beard and red suit, claims he was frogmarched out by the heavies as he got one sack more than he bargained for.

"There's no way it can be done in 30 seconds. People were complaining they didn't have long enough with Santa," he told the tabloid.

"Children were bringing me lists they had written. They also wanted to have their picture taken," he explained.

"I was hustled out by bouncers. It was very humiliating. I was trying to do my job as best I could for the children. They're being ripped off."

Seymour's turn as Santa went up the chimney after just one hour at the Santa Land exhibition at Earl's Court in central London.

Promoters Dreamtime Events said: "He was taking about 10 minutes with each family. We find people would rather have a brief visit than spend hours in a queue."

However, it seems the spirit of Christmas is not completely dead.

The firm claimed Seymour had been offered alternative Santa shifts in the region. -- Agence France Presse

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