Police hunt people seen on CCTV after red paint thrown at Margaret Thatcher statue in Grantham

• Police hope someone can identify these people, after the Margaret Thatcher statue was vandalised.

Police in Lincolnshire have released CCTV of two people they want to speak to after red paint was thrown over the newly erected Margaret Thatcher statue in Grantham.

It happened on Saturday 28 May when a tin of paint was thrown over the statue in St Peters Hill, Grantham, and spray paint was used to draw a hammer and sickle on the surrounding fence.

Police hope the distinctive clothing, build, and the way the people walk could help somebody to identify them.

One of the people is dressed all in black, white white stripes running from the waistline to the knee on both legs, and was wearing a face covering.

The other is also in dark clothing with a hood, a white coloured face covering, dark shoes with a red Nike motif and white soles.

Just two hours after the statue of the controversial first female Prime Minister was erected in her home town on Saturday 15 May, eggs were thrown at it.

On Tuesday when it was officially unveiled, someone also threw a cup of coffee over it.

The £300,000 statue was originally intended for Parliament Square in Westminster.

After a large-scale £100,000 unveiling ceremony was approved by the council in 2020, a Facebook group proposing an “egg-throwing contest” at the event attracted interest from more than 13,000 people.

Around 2,400 others visited the Facebook page to say they would go to the event including “egg throwing … and potentially graffiti art”.

A CCTV camera had been installed directly opposite the memorial to attempt to combat any threats of vandalism, the council said.

The memorial stands on a granite plinth in the centre of Grantham, near statues of Sir Isaac Newton, one of the world's greatest scientists, and 19th century politician the Hon Frederick James Tollemache.

Who was Margaret Thatcher, and why is her legacy controversial?

Margaret Thatcher was leader of the Conservative party between 1975 and 1990, and Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990, winning three general elections.

Her strong leadership style led to her being styled as the 'Iron Lady' and she was praised for recapturing the Falklands Islands during the 1982 war with Argentina.

Controversially, her economic policies led to a series of clashes with unions, perhaps most prominently during the Miners Strike of 1984-85.

Her introduction of a so-called poll tax in 1990 was also incredibly unpopular, contributing to her ousting as leader by members of her own party later that year.

Officers investigating the incident involving paint damage would like to identify the people pictured in the CCTV footage, and would also like to speak to anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward.

Lincolnshire Police would also like to hear from a person who was seen going past on a pedal cycle passing between 11.10pm and 11.15pm.

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