Landmark 'not a whiteboard for public opinion'

A red cross appeared on the Kilburn White Horse on Tuesday afternoon

Kilburn's famous White Horse should not be used as "a whiteboard for public opinion", a councillor has said after a red St George's cross appeared on the landmark.

The cross, which was created from red fabric, was spotted on the giant carving in North York Moors National Park on Tuesday.

Vice-chair of the village's parish council Graham Matthews, said it was "not appropriate" for the figure to be defaced, though added it was not the first time it had happened.

Forestry England, which manages the site, said it was "working closely with the police to try and find who did the damage to this important asset of local and cultural heritage".

"A lot of effort has been expended over the years in terms of creating it and maintaining it," Mr Matthews, who has written a book about the history of the white horse, said.

"It's an iconic Yorkshire landmark, but I don't think its appropriate to use it as a whiteboard of public opinion."

He said he was pleased the cross had not been applied in paint, which he said would have been a "disaster".

He said it was not the first time the figure had been altered.

"Students turned it into a zebra a few years ago with black stripes down it, and it was used years ago for protests for or against, I can't remember which, fox hunting."

By Wednesday part of the red cross had been removed, leaving only a horizontal line

The landmark at Sutton Bank is 318ft (97m) long by 220ft (67m) high and covers about 1.6 acres and was created in 1857.

It is believed to have been inspired by chalk figures in the south of England.

As Sutton Bank is not a chalk hill, it was created by exposing the limestone and then applying white chalk chips.

By Wednesday afternoon only the horizontal stripe of the cross remained in place.

The incident near Kilburn happened on the same day a similar red cross was spotted at the Westbury White Horse in Wiltshire.

It also came as a growing number of St George's and union jack flags have been going up in cities, towns and villages across the UK.

Forestry England says the impact on the landmark is being assessed

Visitors to Sutton Bank on Wednesday expressed their dismay at the incident.

Michael Folan said it was a "travesty" that some people would want to deface the horse, describing it as a "feeble protest".

"It is a load of codswallop and those that have done it need to have their minds sorted out," he said.

Martin Lindsay, from Rawtenstall, said he had not noticed the red bands initially.

"At least they didn't use paint. At least it's not permanent."

The landmark was maintained for more than a century by volunteers, however Mr Matthews said Forestry England took it over in 2018.

It was last resprayed white at a cost of £20,000 in 2022.

Forestry England said in a statement on Tuesday: "Our heritage specialists are assessing the impact this has had on the horse's condition and are working on a plan to restore it."

North Yorkshire Police confirmed it had received a report of criminal damage at about 14:00 BST on Tuesday and asked for those with information to come forward.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.