Santa Claus on surfing safari at Harrods

Christmas came early for Londoners yesterday as Santa strolled into town.

But rather than his traditional snugly red and white fur suit Santa seems to have had a rare change of heart and plumped for a get up more fit for the beach.

Dressed in a blue Hawaiian shirt, red Bermuda shorts, flip flops, shades, and carrying a surfboard, Santa - still with his familiar beard and mop of white curly hair - strutted his stuff on the rainy streets of Knightsbridge.

But in consolation for him arriving too late for London’s recent mini heat wave, he was instead made to feel at home as fake snow pumped over him.

Santa jetted in after enjoying a few weeks’ summer break in the Bahamas to launch this year’s Harrods’s Christmas World department.

A crowd gathered on the street outside the store to take photos as he discarded his flip flops and walked barefoot through the snow crying, “ho ho ho!”

Santa said: “Santa usually tries to get away once a year as I work so hard most of the year, so I went to the Bahamas and then spent two days in Miami where I did a little surfing, laid on the beach and got a lovely tan.

“It was marvellous with lots of sunny weather which I am not used to in Lapland.”

But he said it’s now time to crack the whip on his elves in the run-up to Christmas.

“I will get all the elves working hard now because when Father Christmas is not there they can play away. They have been a bit naughty and they are trying to abscond from making toys so I need to get back there to make sure they are on schedule for Christmas.”

Before leaving for Lapland he went up to the Christmas Department which was crammed with twinkling lights, decorations and gifts, to meet American festive gift designer Katherine Kleski, who was dressed as Mother Christmas.

Santa will be returning to Harrods on November 6 to take up residence in the Christmas grotto.