A giant snowman made from a tree trunk and named after the Prime Minister is finally standing guard outside a village pub after last year’s lockdown restrictions prevented it from doing so.

Terry Davis, from Stockbury, near Sittingbourne, made Boris from a single tree trunk – he is 7ft 6in.

The grandfather, who used to sell woodwork and wood turning machinery but is now retired, created Boris for The Rose and Crown pub at Hartlip last year.

But thanks to Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions, which came into effect last December, the pub was not able to open and Boris had to stay put.

However, almost a year on, Boris is now standing guard outside the village pub and will be welcoming people in over the Christmas period.

Terry, 73, said: “It’s a shame we couldn’t put him out there last year, as planned, because of Covid but I’m so pleased to have finally got him there now.

“Everyone at the pub is happy with him, he’s going down really well with customers and the kids love him – that’s what it’s all about.”

Terry spent a period of about three weeks - on and off - making Boris last winter.

After taking all the bark off of the tree trunk, he rough shaved it with a chainsaw before hand carving and sanding its features.

As well as the typical snowman features, including a top hat, scarf, twig arms and a carrot for a nose, Boris has a lantern and a pipe. There’s also a robin sitting on top of the lantern and another has nested in his pipe.

Terry said Boris’s weight is unknown and that the pub will run a competition from December 1 to guess it in aid of Kent Wildlife Rescue Service.

“We’ve no idea what he weighs; you need a forklift to move him,” the grandfather-of-four said. “In the new year, when we move him back, we’ll take him to a weighbridge in Sittingbourne and find out.”