Blake artwork damage prompts council to install replicas

Sir Peter Blake created the artwork in 2004

A Lancashire council is considering replacing its metal statues with replicas after thieves stole parts of a seafront artwork.

It is the latest in a series of attacks on tourist attractions in Blackpool thought to be by people seeking metal.

The sculpture by artist Sir Peter Blake, who designed the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper sleeve, was damaged after part of it was ripped apart.

The statue was on the town's promenade, and its remains are now in storage.

The artwork called "Life as a Circus" was commissioned by Blackpool Council as part of a series of works for the promenade.

It features a variety of circus acts cast in bronze standing on top of each other, and celebrates the great entertainment tradition of the resort.

The council will be looking at old photos and original drawings from when it was commissioned to see whether Sir Peter could make suitable replacement pieces.

A second Sir Peter Blake work in Blackpool is of a horse jumping over a gate while four people balance on top of each other's shoulders. This has also been moved into secure storage.

The damage to the Blake statue follows the theft of three statues in Stanley Park in July, while lead was stripped from the roofs of properties in the resort's model village attraction.