SYDNEY (Reuters) - Santa may be coming to town, but police in the Australian steel city of Newcastle have warned the ruddy-faced old man not to bring any booze in his sack. Any Santa found with alcohol in his bag of goodies during the annual Santa Claus Pub Crawl along the city's hotels on Friday night will be fined A$550 (US$360). "We have had a lot of trouble with the Santa Claus Pub Crawl in the past, with property damage, stealing of garden gnomes and defecating and urinating Santas. It's been very ugly," a Newcastle police spokeswoman told Reuters. The city is located 120 km (80 miles) north of Sydney. Last year, about 6,000 people in Santa hats and reindeer antlers towed Christmas trees and coolers full of beer as they visited Newcastle hotels, having a drink at each one. The Santa Claus Pub Crawl has been a tradition in Newcastle for the past 10 years and normally attracts a crowd of 10,000 onlookers. But this year the entire route of the Santa Claus Pub Crawl has been made an alcohol-free zone, except for the hotels the Santas and reindeers visit for a drink. "The Santas cannot get on to the route carrying alcohol and any found carrying alcohol will be fined under liquor licensing laws," said the police spokeswoman.