Statues warning of military land dangers to stay

The statues are designed to highlight the dangers of military land

Steel statues depicting soldiers and members of the public will remain on display on Salisbury Plain, after calls for them to stay.

The artwork was commissioned for the Ministry of Defence's (MoD) Respect the Range campaign, which aims to make people aware of the dangers of military land.

It was installed in July, with plans to stay for 28 days, but Wiltshire Council has granted permission for the statues to stay until the end of the year due to their popularity.

“They’ve been a focal point in allowing us to promote our key safety messages to keep the public safe and allow our military to train uninterrupted," Brigadier Gavin Hatcher CBE, Head of the UK Defence Training Estate, said.

The charity, Standing with Giants (SWG), created the installation near Bratton on the edge of the plain.

It depicts 10ft (3m) statues of soldiers standing near smaller statues of members of the public carrying out everyday activities.

Dan Barton, charity founder, said: “The enthusiasm with which the Giants have been received is wonderful, and a testament to the hard work of the volunteers at SWG who brought the project to life.

“Some of the images that local residents have shared with us have been truly spectacular and we’re really pleased the Giants will be staying a little longer for more people to enjoy.”

Military personnel and members of the public are depicted in the statues

The MoD manages more than 1% of the total UK landmass, and two thirds of this is used for training purposes.

Hundreds of people wander close to military training operations on the 94,000 acres of the Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA) every year, potentially putting their lives at risk while training exercises take place.

The MoD is reminding the public to only access military training areas when and where it is safe to do so and to exercise caution.