Criminal damage charges over Paddington statue

The front of the statue was cut from its bench in Newbury

Two men have been charged after a Paddington Bear statue was damaged and taken from a bench.

The front of the sculpture was cut away and removed from its seat in Northbrook Street, Newbury, Berkshire at about 02:00 GMT on Sunday, according to Thames Valley Police. It was later recovered.

Daniel Heath, 22, from Thornton, West Yorkshire, and William Lawrence, 22 from Enderby, Leicestershire, were both charged with one count of criminal damage.

Both men have been released on conditional bail to appear at Reading Magistrates' Court on 25 March.

The Newbury statue was one of 23 Paddington models unveiled across the UK

The statue of the Peruvian bear, holding a marmalade sandwich, was unveiled in the town in October.

Newbury was the home town of Paddington creator Michael Bond.

Newbury Business Improvement District (BID) brought the statue to Newbury, in partnership with StudioCanal, as part of its national Paddington Visits trail.

It was one of 23 models celebrating the children's character placed across the UK last year ahead of the launch of the film Paddington in Peru.

Thames Valley Police said the statue was due to be handed back to the owners for its restoration.