URI GELLER'S parting gift to Sonning could be taken down just days after its grand unveiling as he failed to get planning permission for the sculpture the Chronicle can reveal.

The giant postbox red spoon might not be standing at 7ft tall for much longer as the TV illusionist has yet to put in a planning application to Wokingham Borough Council.

The bent 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 30 years living in the Berkshire village the 68-year-old said he wanted to gift the village a memento of his time there before he returns to his homeland of Israel.

During its unveiling on Monday, the notorious spoon bender whose garden is full of sculptures including a gorilla made out of bent spoons, said: “It will be photographed a million times."

However, Councillor John Kaiser, executive member for planning and highways at Wokingham Borough Council, said the regulatory body is still waiting for Mr Geller to submit a planning application for the sculpture on the 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 the retrospective planning permission is refused the sculpture, that took artist-blacksmith Paul Wells 60 hours to create, could be removed.

A dog walker who lives in Sonning, who did not wish to be named, said: "You can't just stick stuff up without debate and I didn't think he had got permission from the council.

"I think the whole thing is a bit inappropriate, the colour is inappropriate and it would look better if it was rusted.

"He has just done it for self promotion."

Another said: "I think he should have got planning permission. I don't like it - it's ridiculous."

However, another woman using the towpath on Tuesday, said: "Shame about the colour but it would be a shame to take it down."

A spokesman from the Environment Agency confirmed that 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. In this case it appears that the statue is set back from the river upon an existing tree stump so would not increase flood risk."

When contacted by the Reading Chronicle Mr Geller said that he had approached the former chairman of Sonning Parish Council, Pat Doyle for permission. Mr Doyle retired from his post in June this year.

Mr Geller told the Chronicle: “I got planning permission from the parish council, Sonning, and from Pat Doyle," before putting the phone down.

Cllr Ian Runnalls confirmed that the parish council had not received an application from Mr Geller.

He said: "As far as I'm aware there has not been any application, there has been nothing official."

In September the Chronicle exclusively revealed Mr Geller was moving back to Israel and would be selling his Sonning home after 35 years in the village.