Liverpool Super Lambanana: 'Shiny new' replica replaces original

The new version of the sculpture has been created using more durable materials

A "shiny new" version of a much-loved Liverpool sculpture has been installed, 10 years it was announced.

Super Lambanana was created in 1998 and a proposal to replace it with a durable replica was revealed in 2009.

However, a long-running dispute between Liverpool City Council and the sculpture's creator Taro Chiezo had delayed the plan.

Deputy mayor Wendy Simon said the original would now get "a little bit of looking after".

The artist, who has been approached for comment, has not said what he will do with the original, but criticised the idea of replacing it in July.

He said he believed that if it was "fixed perfectly", it could stand for "100 years or more".

At the time, the council said that as the sculpture's owner, the artist was responsible for its maintenance.

The sculpture was repainted by the council in 2016

The bright yellow 17ft (5m) high work, which stands on Tithebarn Street, was created as part of a cross-regional art project backed by the Henry Moore Sculpture Trust and Tate Liverpool.

It became a symbol of the city, but its condition has deteriorated in recent years and the council's repainting of it in 2016 failed to fix its problems.

A council spokesman said the cost of the replacement, which was installed on Sunday, was met using legacy funding from the city's year as European Capital of Culture in 2008.