A1 Black Cat roundabout statue to be taken down for road upgrade

The cat still remains in place on the Black Cat roundabout on the A1 between Sandy and St Neots

A much-loved landmark sculpture of a black cat that has been stolen, broken and vandalised over the years is to be moved to safety during A1 roadworks.

National Highways said the large metal feline, at the Black Cat roundabout, near Bedford, will be "looked after" during construction.

A £950m upgrade of the A428 Black Cat route from Bedfordshire to Caxton Gibbet, in Cambridgeshire, is planned.

The artwork first appeared 20 years ago and has been replaced several times.

Two kittens were added to the roundabout in 2019

The Black Cat roundabout, on the junction between the A1 and A421, just south of St Neots in Cambridgeshire, takes its name from the garage and repair workshop that was in the area in the 1920s.

In 2004, a landmark artwork was created by four men, including Jack Pike.

"When I retired from being a parish councillor in the early 2000s, I gathered together a few of my engineering friends and we put together a plan to construct and install a black cat statue on the roundabout," he said.

The cat and its kittens will be moved to a safe place while construction work takes place

It got its art deco style from a "pawtrait of the cat on the original garage clock tower", National Highways said.

It was due to be made from plywood "but my friend Clive said he could cut it in metal," Mr Pike added.

As the roundabout got bigger, a larger feline was built, the original was taken down and now resides in Mr Pike's back garden.

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National Highways has produced a video to document its eventful past.

The cat, with a large tail, was spray-painted white by vandals in 2019 and a grimacing smile was added

It shows how it was stolen in 2007 by "cat burglars", broken in 2013, vandalised with spray-paint, cleaned up, and had two kittens added in 2019.

Paul Salmon, senior project manager at National Highways, said it was frequently asked what would happen to the black cat.

"We fully understand the importance of the black cat as a local landmark, and one of our project ambitions is to leave a purr-fect legacy, so, don't worry, we will be looking after the cat and her kittens during construction," he said.

They are due to remain in place until next year, and will then be removed and returned when the upgrade is due to be completed in 2027, he added.

The new 10-mile (16km) dual carriageway will link the Black Cat roundabout to the Caxton Gibbet roundabout on the A428 between St Neots and Cambridge.

Plans are in place for construction of the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements, National Highways said