Cleethorpes' leaking boot statue replaced

The statue is in the town's Diana, Princess Of Wales memorial garden

A statue on a North East Lincolnshire seafront that was destroyed by vandals has been replaced by a replica.

The Boy with the Leaking Boot sculpture has been a fixture of Cleethorpes since 1918.

It has been attacked by vandals twice in the last 12 months, with the statue being smashed in both incidents.

More than £2,000 has been spent by the Cleethorpes In Bloom committee on the replica and security measures including a metal fence and CCTV cameras.

Bob Callison, chairman of the Cleethorpes In Bloom committee, said: "This is our mascot, this is all about Cleethorpes. People love this statue."

Mr Callison said he hoped the decorative metal fence and cameras would deter vandals from repeatedly attacking the new concrete and resin statue.

"It's 6ft across and above waist height in the water so that you can't just reach and push the boy over," he said.

Repeated attacks

The statue has been a target for vandals in recent years. In 2008 it was restored after being stolen and badly damaged.

In October 2011, it was vandalised again with the damaged pieces thrown into a lake in the park where the statue is located. The attack came just two weeks after Cleethorpes won a gold award in the RHS Britain In Bloom competition.

In July, just before the Britain in Bloom judges were due to visit the town again, the sculpture was attacked once more.

It was donated to the town by shipping magnate John Carlborn in 1918.

It is one of many similar sculptures located in cities across the world, including versions in New Orleans and Stockholm.