French teenagers mug Santa Claus

There was not much festive cheer for the French Santa

A group of French teenagers have mugged Father Christmas, attempting to steal his sack of presents.

The man dressed as Santa Claus was handing out sweets in the southern town of Ales when things turned nasty.

One of the teenagers demanded extra sweets and, when the red-cloaked Santa refused, he and his friends started kicking and pummelling the man.

The teenager and his friends, all about 15 years of age, were eventually scared off by passers-by.

Father Christmas suffered multiple bruises and has lodged a criminal complaint, the AFP news agency reported.