Fact Check: Portsmouth Council Restricted Door Wreaths Citing Fire Safety Concerns

Social media claims about Portsmouth’s Christmas wreath ban have been misrepresented as religious discrimination, a Reuters fact check reveals.

Claims circulating online that Portsmouth City Council has banned Christmas wreaths to avoid offending non-Christians are misleading and lack crucial context, according to an investigation by Reuters.

Several viral posts on social media platforms alleged that the council had implemented a blanket ban on Christmas decorations across the city. One post from December 10 claimed: “BREAKING: Portsmouth council BANS Christmas wreaths and THREATENS TO FINE anybody who has one. Welcome to Britain in 2025, where you are NOT ALLOWED to celebrate Christmas in case you offend somebody.”

The posts sparked a flurry of inflammatory comments, with some users suggesting the policy represented religious discrimination. “This is why Christian countries cannot allow antichrists into their borders,” wrote one commenter on X. Another claimed the UK had been “taken over” by Muslims.

However, Portsmouth City Council has confirmed to Reuters that the policy has nothing to do with religious sensitivity and is instead part of a fire safety initiative implemented in April 2024. The measure applies specifically to residents of council-owned social housing blocks, not to all homes in the city as suggested by the viral posts.

“This applies to all personal possessions, not just Christmas items, and is designed to prevent damage to fire doors and keep escape routes safe for everyone,” a council spokesperson explained in an email to Reuters.

The policy document, available on the council’s website, outlines a “zero tolerance approach” to ensure communal walkways and stairwells in apartment blocks remain clear of combustible materials, fire sources, and any obstructions. Doors that lead directly onto communal escape routes are designated as fire doors and must remain free of decorations or other items.

Importantly, the council emphasized that it fully supports residents celebrating Christmas and other occasions. “We welcome the display of wreaths and other decorations in windows, on private balconies, and inside homes,” the spokesperson added.

The policy stems from national legislation introduced following the 2017 Grenfell Tower tragedy, in which 72 people lost their lives when fire engulfed a 23-story social housing block in London. The Building Safety Act 2022 and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 prompted Portsmouth and other councils across the UK to revise their fire safety policies to prevent similar disasters.

The public inquiry into the Grenfell disaster identified significant failings by both the government and the construction industry, leading to stricter regulations around fire safety in multi-occupancy buildings.

News reports about the letters sent to council tenants, which were partially shared by social media users, had in fact mentioned the fire safety justification, but this crucial context was omitted in the viral posts.

This incident highlights how partial information can be weaponized on social media to create misleading narratives. While the council has indeed restricted Christmas wreaths on doors in communal areas of council flats, characterizing this as a ban on Christmas celebrations or as an attempt to appease religious sensitivities is fundamentally inaccurate.

The case serves as a reminder for social media users to seek complete information from official sources before drawing conclusions about contentious public policies, particularly when claims appear designed to inflame cultural or religious tensions.