Magician and restaurateur Orlando Gubbini always has a trick up his sleeve – but even he can’t make a lamppost disappear.

Orlando, 62, who runs Orlando’s Italian restaurant in Wakefield Road, Grange Moor, reported a lamppost out on the roadside in December.

He got a reference number from Kirklees Council and was told the bulb would be changed.

When the lamp remained unlit he contacted the council again to be told there was a fault with the cable and they’d have to dig up and investigate.

By Thursday last week the lamp was still out and Orlando remained in the dark.

He phoned the council again to be told there were TWO lampposts, an old one and a new one.

Puzzled Orlando stood by the lamppost and could see there was only one – yet the council insisted there were two.

Orlando, a member of Huddersfield Magic Circle, said: “It’s a joke.

“There is only one lamppost and always has been. I’m a magician but even I can’t make a lamppost disappear.”

Orlando Gubbini, magician and proprietor of Orlando's Italian restaurant at Grange Moor, waves his magic wand - but without success

Orlando first reported the lamppost to the council on December 7 – got a reference number – and was told the bulb would be changed.

“When nothing happened I rang the council again and they said they’d changed the bulb. I said that the light still wasn’t working and they said they’d send an engineer out,” said Orlando, renowned for his table magic in the restaurant.

“I rang back a few days later and they said there was a problem with the cable and they were going to start digging.

“The light was still out so I rang last month and the council said they didn’t know anything about it but they would report it again.

“Then I phoned them again on Thursday and gave them the reference number and the woman on the phone put my on hold while she spoke to Highways.

Orlando Gubbini entertains with card tricks at a Christmas lunch at the Jubilee Centre, Paddock

“I was waiting about 20 minutes but then she came back and said there were two lampposts, an old one and a new one.

“I told her there was only one and always had been. She went to speak to Highways again and they insisted there were two. Do they think I’m crazy?”

A Kirklees Council spokesman said: “We have received a report that the existing streetlight outside Orlando’s isn’t working and will arrange for this to be repaired.

“The council is in the process of replacing the old lampposts with new ones and energy efficient LED lights on Wakefield Road including outside Orlando’s restaurant at Grange Moor.

“This means that at times there will be the new lampposts alongside the old ones so the electricity power supply can be transferred over.”