A specially-commissioned piece of artwork headed to Whitton for St George's Day has been held up in customs and now won't make it here in time.

Richmond Council commissioned the artwork to commemorate St George's Day 2021, and it was due to be installed on Whitton High Street at the pedestrian crossing.

The council said: "Unfortunately the artwork has been held up by Customs on route to our contractors for installation.

"The Council remains committed to installing the piece and timing will depend on it's release from Customs."

Cllr Alexander Ehmann said: "Despite lots of planning for our patriotic artwork... it's been held up in customs and won't arrive for #StGeorgesDay as shipment was stopped for inspection."

He followed it with #ReleaseStGeorge, and "St George and the (UK customs) Drag-on."

What's missing? Cllr Ehmann said: "A series of prefabricated materials (cut to size) that is then adjusted on site and laid (a little like a jigsaw) using adhesives."

When asked why the materials weren't being sourced from the UK Cllr Ehmann said: "The design and materials are not widely available from a range of suppliers, for this type of road use. In this case the materials concerned were coming from Denmark."

Who is St George?

St George is England's patron saint, whose life remains largely a mystery.

He is often portrayed as a knight in shining armour, and thought to have been a high-ranking officer in the Roman army.

The best-known legend about St. George is his fight with a dragon.

After that he became famous across Europe for his bravery.

St George's Day is always celebrated on April 23 in the UK.

The red cross on a white background that forms part of the Union Flag is known as the St. George's cross.

Did you know that St George wasn't actually English?

English Heritage says: "St George might be hailed as a national hero, but he was actually born – in the 3rd century AD – more than 2,000 miles away in Cappadocia (modern day Turkey).

"He is thought to have died in Lydda (modern day Israel) in the Roman province of Palestine in AD 303. It is believed that his tomb was in Lod and was a centre of Christian pilgrimage."