The Beatles: Liverpool Eleanor Rigby statue damage accidental - council

The council said it was initially feared the damage was deliberate, but CCTV footage revealed it was "an unfortunate accident"

A statue of Beatles character Eleanor Rigby has been removed for repairs after being damaged in "an unfortunate accident", a council has said.

The sculpture on Liverpool's Stanley Street, which depicts the titular heroine of the Fab Four's 1966 song, was unveiled in 1982.

Liverpool City Council said it had recently been damaged, but was also showing signs of wear and tear.

It said it was now getting quotes on the cost of the repairs.

The statue was designed by entertainer Tommy Steele, who created it as a tribute to the band after performing in Liverpool in 1981.

It depicts a woman seated on a bench with a handbag, shopping bag and a copy of the Liverpool Echo newspaper.

The authority said it did not know when the repair work would be completed or when the statue would be returned to Stanley Street

It was inspired by the character created by the band for their song, which states that she "lives in a dream, waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door".

The song was released as a double A-side single, backed by Yellow Submarine, and spent four weeks at number one in the UK charts.

Sir Paul McCartney, who wrote the majority of the song's lyrics, later said he made up the name after wandering around Bristol, but he later found out there was an Eleanor Rigby buried in Woolton Cemetery, close to where he used to meet John Lennon.

A council representative told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that it was initially feared the statue was damaged on purpose, but "following a review of CCTV footage, we can see that the damage... was an unfortunate accident".

They added that the authority did not know when the repair work would be completed or when the statue would be returned to Stanley Street.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [e-mail]