Giant Gromit sculpture in Bristol vandalised

A sculpture designed by Joanna Lumley was damaged

One of 80 giant Gromit sculptures on public display in Bristol as part of a charity arts trail has been vandalised.

The 5ft (1.5m) tall sculpture, designed by Joanna Lumley, had its tail smashed off on Friday evening in College Green.

The model is part of the 10-week Gromit Unleashed arts trail raising money in aid of the Bristol Children's Hospital.

The damage to the sculpture, named Poetry in Motion, is being assessed in the hope it can be restored.

Nicola Masters, director of the charity behind Gromit Unleashed, said: "We are dismayed that anyone would want to damage one of the Gromit sculptures which have been created to raise money to treat sick children in hospital and to provide something for everyone in Bristol to enjoy."

Avon and Somerset Police are investigating the incident.

The 80 models of Aardman's famous canine character, which have been individually sponsored by businesses, will be auctioned on 3 October to raise funds for Wallace and Gromit's Grand Appeal - the Bristol Children's Hospital charity.

Other designs include those from Sir Quentin Blake, Cath Kidston, One Direction's Zayn Malik, The Beano and Harry Hill.

Wallace and Gromit's Grand Appeal was formed 17 years ago after a public charity appeal to build a new children's hospital that enlisted the help of Bristol-based animation studio Aardman Animations.

It has pledged to raise an initial £3.5m for new equipment, including an intraoperative MRI scanner, family facilities and child-friendly artwork.

In 2011 a sale of gorilla statues, which had been displayed around the city, raised about £500,000 for charity.