Margaret Thatcher statue in Grantham vandalised weeks after being egged

A statue of Margaret Thatcher in Grantham covered in red paint
Red paint was thrown over a fence surrounding the statue Credit: Twitter/Peter Tully

Police are investigating a second attack on a statue of Margaret Thatcher just weeks after it was installed in her home town.

Red paint was thrown at the bronze memorial to the former Conservative prime minister on Saturday, May 28 – less than two weeks after it was erected in Grantham, Lincolnshire.

A hammer and sickle – a symbol of the Communist Party – was spray-painted on the fence put up to protect it.

The incident comes after the statue was egged by a university worker within hours of its unveiling on 15 May. He was later fined.

In a statement Lincolnshire Police said: "Just before 11.15pm on Saturday, 28 May, we received reports of a person shown on CCTV acting suspiciously near the site. Officers attended and found graffiti had been spray-painted onto the barriers surrounding the statue. No damage was thought to have been caused to the statue itself."

A communist symbol was also spray-painted onto the fence Credit: Peter A Tully

Baroness Thatcher, who was born and raised in Grantham, went to school in the market town, where her father was mayor.

The £300,000 statue, created by sculptor Douglas Jennings, was set to be placed near Parliament in 2018 but was rejected by Westminster Council.

It was funded by the Public Memorials Appeal through public donations and installed in low-key fashion on a 3m-high plinth in an effort to discourage vandalism.

CCTV had been installed nearby in anticipation of protests and vandalism, with a Facebook group proposing an "egg-throwing contest" around the installation event.

In a statement South Kesteven District Council said it "understands the strength of feeling surrounding the memorial but strongly condemns the actions of those who seek to damage any public property, or otherwise break the law".

It added: "It is an unfortunate development and SKDC will fully support Lincolnshire Police in their investigation. SKDC can confirm that the memorial is monitored by the local CCTV system and any evidence from this is being shared with the police.

"The damage is being assessed and work is being planned to restore the memorial to its original condition."

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