Dane Best, who lives in Severance, a small town in the US state of Colorado, found out about the obscure, largely unenforced law during a school trip to town hall.

The ordinance in question states that it is “unlawful for any person to throw or shoot any stone or any other missile upon or at any person, animal, building, tree or other public or private property”.

Best collected letters and signatures in support of a change in the law and presented his case to Severance Town Council on Monday, CNN reports.

Councillors have now voted unanimously to legalise the throwing of snowballs within town limits.