From the Daily Telegraph…

Germans give chimney sweeps the brush-off
By Kate Connolly in Berlin
(Filed: 26/12/2005)

In his top hat, white tie and brass-buttoned uniform, and dangling a brush on a chain over his shoulder, Erhard Feller might have walked off the set of a film about Victorian England.

But the 51-year-old chimney sweep is a vibrant part of working life in modern Berlin and the uniform is standard for him and his 8,000 colleagues across Germany.

Even though most German chimneys are too thin for Santa Claus to squeeze into, Christmas is still the busiest time of year for Mr Feller, who travels on a motorbike between the 310 properties he is responsible for.

The few remaining households with fireplaces and wood ovens are keen to ensure they are in working order during the winter break.

The chimney sweep has a reputation as a bringer of luck. But an increasing number of Germans are angry that the sweeps have a monopoly and they are forced to pay for their services, whether they have a chimney or not.