Residents have said it is a “sad day” for their community after a woman was forced to remove an inflatable clown from her garden by the local council.
Noosa, in Queensland, has become a no-go area for clowns that had arrived to promote the Moscow Circus.
In a strict ruling, Noosa Shire Council ruled that the inflatables were in breach of bylaws on advertising.
Tanya Stevens, has told how she has had to deflate her 3.65 metre clown called Karl who had taken up pride of place in her front yard.
She said she was given the ultimatum of removing the clown or facing a fine.
"The circus people approached me again and they were like, 'the clown has got to, it's got to come down, and I'm like 'oh no, why'," Ms Stevens told A Current Affair on 9Now.
They replied: "The council have told us we can't have the clowns up."
Local residents have hit out at the harsh decision from the council.
Noosa local Leah said: "(It's) very sad, very sad for our local community. With the past two years and lockdown it's nice to see something bright and colourful and cheery."
Another, Esme, said: "We loved Karl. You know, how often do you see a clown in a front (yard)?"
New local laws were introduced in 2020 that prevented all third-party advertising on private property.
It is also stated that there could not be more than six advertisement signs for an event and they had to be smaller than one metre high.
"I was told by one councillor I could cop a fine because he's actually in my yard and I'm advertising for a third party," Ms Stevens added.
Mark Edgley from the Moscow Circus said it's their first time back in Noosa in a decade and he feels the council could make exceptions to the rules.
Noosa Shire Council said it had acted on complaints but was willing to reconsider the decision if there was sufficient community interest, reported 9Now.
A council statement reportedly said: "Inflatable 3D signage for the Great Moscow Circus doesn't comply with Noosa Council's endorsed Advertising Signage Policy.
"Owners have been asked to remove the signage within 24 hours.
"The Local Law on Advertising Signage was introduced in February 2020 with the purpose of preserving the look and feel of Noosa's unique environment.
"Under the local law, inflatable and third-party signs (signs for someone else's business/event on your property) are prohibited in Noosa.
"The local law also covers event signage, specifying that event signage must not exceed six signs and must not exceed 900mm x 600mm in size.
"Our officers requested the inflatable signs be removed after a number of complaints from the community.
"The current signage policy was ratified by the previous council back in 2020. The current council has the ability to revisit the issue if there is community demand."
