APRIL isn’t over and there’s already some bad news about Christmas.

If Chris Bullen, boss of the Poole Park Railway, mounts his usual festive grotto with live reindeer this year, there’s an obstacle he’s going to have to get around.

That obstacle is a large pile of decomposing waste.

Poole council – which, as Mr Bullen says presides over 150 acres of land in Poole Park – has decided that the best place to site a compost bin is the exact spot where he puts his reindeer and his Easter pets.

The council says it is not taking any and away from Mr Bullen and that his attraction has encroached upon the borough’s land.

But that won’t cut much ice this winter with the kids who are expecting to enjoy the same delights they have in previous years.

Is it too much to hope the council might already be moved by the spirit of Christmas?