Weelsby Woods: Uncertain future for damaged two-tonne lion statue

The lion previously stood outside Weelsby Woods in Grimsby

A two-tonne lion statue damaged in a crash following a police chase faces an uncertain future, a council has said.

The 147-year-old sculpture was one of two figures which marked the entrance to Weelsby Woods in Grimsby.

It was knocked off its plinth in April, when it was hit by a car driven by a 16-year-old boy.

A council meeting heard there was no "unwavering duty" to replace the lion, which has stood outside the park since 1951.

A teenage boy was given a six-month detention order at youth court and disqualified from driving for three years, following the crash which destroyed the sculpture

The sculpture was one of a pair originally commissioned for a private Grimsby residence in 1876. They were placed at Grimsby Zoo in 1930, before the move to their current site.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Heneage Ward councillor Matthew Patrick promised, during the local elections campaign, to try to get the second Weelsby Woods lion back at the entrance to the park.

He asked if there was an "unwavering duty to replace it" at meeting of North East Lincolnshire Council on Thursday, but was told by councillor Stewart Swinburn, portfolio holder for environment and transport, there was not.

The meeting was also told there was a funding priority for other park elements, such as playgrounds.

However, Mr Swinburn indicated the statue might be replaced following a favourable insurance claim.

"I do believe this council is still looking at any financial reimbursement from insurers," he said.

If that was to come, the council would look into funding the lion's replacement, he added.