Weasel riding woodpecker sign: Council hits out at ad agency for trying to get 'free ride' off Hornchurch Country photo phenomenon
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Version 0 of 1. The lure of fame will always bring hangers-on - and after it took Twitter by storm and even appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres show, the woodpecker-riding weasel seems to be no different. A London council has been forced to intervene after an ad agency tried to get a "free ride" off the famous photo with a commemorative brown sign that included its own logo. Images appeared on social media at the weekend purporting to show the sign celebrating the meme-worthy incident in Hornchurch County Park, Havering, where the original shot was captured by amateur photographer Martin Le-May. It stated: “Home of the woodpecker-riding weasel” with a silhouetted illustration of the two in flight. But rather than just a fond tribute from proud locals, the unauthorised sign was the work of 30-year-old Stephen Cross and his colleagues Simon Connor, Sam Walker and Joe De Souza at the Karmarama advertising agency. The company’s logo is placed prominently in the bottom-right. The original image took the internet by storm Mr Cross told The Independent that he was hopeful it would be allowed to stay so that it can become a photo opportunity, adding: "Why wouldn't you want to take a selfie with it?" He claimed that after some friends helped out with the production, the sign was "basically a community project". "We're hoping that the council allow it to stay up so it can stay part of the local community," he said. Havering Council said that the sign had not received permission and would be removed - but not before having a little fun of its own. "Normally, we’d remove an unauthorised sign in a day or two because unlike the woodpecker, we can’t just give anyone a free ride," a spokesperson told The Independent. "That said, we’re proud of weaselpecker too, so it might survive a little while longer, but if you want a pic with the sign, you’ll need to get down to Hornchurch Country Park soon." |