Detlev Groß told the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ) he had been dressing up for his deliveries on St Nikolaus Day around the town of Herne in North Rhine-Westphalia for years, and no-one had ever complained.

But this December 6th, his friendly "Ho ho ho" as he delivered his package was greeted with dismay rather than a grin.

The WAZ said DHL confirmed there had been a complaint that having St Nikolaus making deliveries was an affront to his religious freedom.

He called the police, who told Groß to take off the costume and continue his round in his DHL uniform instead.

Groß said: "I was so annoyed. We are big fans of our friendly package delivery service – the best in Herne – and infuriated by this case."

DHL spokesman Dieter Pietruck told the WAZ: "The delivery man was spoken to by a customer, but not threatened or hassled."

He said Groß had taken off the St Nikolaus costume without any police pressure.

A police spokesman told the paper: "We don't have anything against Nikolauses, only if they carry out crimes. But delivering packages certainly would not count."

READ MORE: Celebrating Nikolaus before Christmas