A bent spoon sculpture erected by Uri Geller opposite George Clooney's Berkshire mansion could be torn down after the TV illusionist failed to get planning permission.
The 7ft tall sculpture was commissioned as a parting gift to the Berkshire village of Sonning where Geller lived for 35 years, and was unveiled at a grand ceremony this week.
However, The Reading Chronicle has since revealed that Geller, famous for his spoon-bending abilities, has yet to put in a planning application for the sculpture to Wokingham Borough Council.
The postbox red spoon sits on top of a tree stump on a towpath in the Thames-side village opposite George Clooney and wife-of-one-year Amal's mansion.
After three decades living in the Berkshire village 68-year-old Geller said he wanted to gift the village a memento of his time there before he returns to his homeland of Israel.
The garden of Geller's Sonning house is also said to be full of sculptures, including one of a gorilla made out of bent spoons.
At the unveiling of the statue on Monday, he said: “It will be photographed a million times."
However, Councillor John Kaiser, executive member for planning and highways at Wokingham Borough Council, said the local authority was still waiting for Mr Geller to submit a planning application for the artwork, which is on a public right of way.
He said: “The statue needs planning permission to be erected, and we haven’t yet received a planning application for it.
"So we will be writing to him, inviting him to submit an application as soon as possible."
If retrospective planning permission is refused for the sculpture – which took artist-blacksmith Paul Wells 60 hours to create – it could be removed.
A spokesman from the Environment Agency confirmed Mr Geller did not get permission from them to erect the statue.
He said: "We have not been approached for permission to erect a sculpture.
"Normally we require any structure within 8 metres of a main river watercourse, including the River Thames, to apply for a Flood Defence Consent. This is so we can ensure they don’t increase flood risk."
Mr Geller reportedly told the Reading Chronicle he had sought approval for the sculpture.
Mr Geller said: “I got planning permission from the parish council, Sonning, and from [former chairman] Pat Doyle," before putting the phone down.
