Plans for giant statue of Motörhead frontman Lemmy in hometown Burslem are approved

Plans for a giant statue of Burslem-born rock legend Lemmy, famous for being the frontman of metal band Motörhead, have been approved.

The 'Ace of Spades' singer will have a sculpture immortalising him, standing 2.25 metres tall and made out of bronze, in his hometown's Market Place.

However, the building of the statue is not without controversy - including concerns from Staffordshire Police that it would potentially attract the wrong kind of attention, that would lead to 'incidents'.

Permission was granted by Stoke on-Trent city council, but only after sculptor Andy Edwards, who designed the statue of Gordon Banks at the bet365 stadium, agreed to increase the height of the base of the statue by half a metre.

Staffordshire Police voiced concerns about "good natured but potentially incident-generating attention".

The force said that whilst it has no objection to honouring a celebrated local son, fans, football supporters, or late night revellers could climb the statue to pose with Lemmy.

This is when the design changed, to make the statue 50cm taller to discourage such behaviour.

Staffordshire Police officer David Elkington said that the design changes that "minimise the risks" are "welcomed".

Lemmy, whose most famous work was as a frontman in the band Motörhead, was born in Burlsem in 1845 and went on to live in Los Angeles from 1990 until his death in 2015, aged 70.

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