Anger at damage to Ipswich Town's Kevin Beattie statue

Black marks and stonework damage have appeared on the Kevin Beattie statue near Ipswich Town's ground

The daughter of Ipswich Town legend Kevin Beattie said she was angry and saddened his statue had been damaged.

Black marks have appeared and stonework chipped away on the structure at Portman Road, which is believed to have been caused by skateboarders.

Fans raised money for the bronze statue, which was unveiled in December, after Mr Beattie's death in 2018.

Daughter Emma Harvey said: "It's clearly a memorial statue so I just don't understand people's thinking.

"I was extremely angry but also very saddened at this pointless act of vandalism. There's a skateboard park just down the road," she added.

One person who posted picture of the damage on social media said she had seen skateboarders riding on the sculpture

The sculpture of The Beat was made possible by a crowdfunding campaign to raise £110,000 and the inscription at its base reads "from the fans, for the fans".

Creator Sean Hedges-Quinn said: "It's just tremendous disappointment for the thousands of people who made it happen. It's an insult to everybody who donated. It's heart-breaking."

Pictures of the damage were widely shared by a user of a local Facebook group, who said she was "fuming" to see people skateboarding and filming stunts on and around the sculpture.

Mr Beattie, voted Ipswich's greatest player by fans, died from a heart attack in September 2018, aged 64.

Supporter Neil told BBC Radio Suffolk the damage was "so disrespectful," while Mark called Mr Beattie an icon of Ipswich Town and said he was "angry at these mindless hooligans".

Ipswich Borough Council said: "We're very disappointed and will look to do what adjustments might be needed to protect it in future as well as repairing what is required."

Kevin Beattie was a key player for Ipswich during their most successful era to date

Hundreds of fans turned out in force to see the unveiling of the bronze statue in December