A grandfather has made a giant snowman from a tree trunk and has named him after the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.

Terry Davis, from Stockbury, near Sittingbourne, made Boris from a single tree trunk - he is 7ft 6in and must weigh at least a quarter of a tonne.

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

But thanks to Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions, which came into effect on Wednesday, the pub will no longer be opening, meaning Boris will be staying put.

Terry said: “There’s no point in taking him to the pub because they can’t open. He would have stood out the front and welcomed people in over Christmas - the kids would have loved him.”

Terry said he spent a period of about three weeks - on and off - making Boris.

“There were some trees cut down next door to me. I took the trunks and they’ve been sitting out in my car park about a year until I found a use for them,” he said.

“You take all the bark off then you rough shave it with a chainsaw before hand carving and sanding its features. It’s basically a lot of grinding away until you get the shape.

“It takes a lot of sanding, rubbing down and painting. Also, a lot of hand carving to do the eyes and mouth, for example.”

The 72-year-old added: “I do a lot of carving and have made all sorts of things, a rabbit, horses heads.

“I usually make a lot of little snowmen around Christmastime too, about two inches high, and I give them out to kids but this year we’re all locked away.

“Boris is the third big one I’ve made, you need a fork lift to move him. I made one a few years ago that went to a pub and another one recently for a friend.”

Terry posted photos on his Facebook account showing the entire process of making the huge snowman, before asking for suggestions for names.

“There’s been a lot of good comments from it,” he said. “Obviously, with the hair, that’s why we went for Boris.”

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.

“It’s all a bit of fun,” Terry said.

“I’m now going to start on a Father Christmas.”

The grandfather-of-four added: “The kids love him and that’s what it’s all about.

“It’s a shame he didn’t get round to the pub because a lot of children would have seen him there - hopefully next year will be different.

“I’ve put him outside. He can be seen from the road if anyone drives by.”

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