Police release CCTV in hunt for Margaret Thatcher statue vandals

Officers ask for help to identify pair seen near statue at time of first paint-throwing incident

Police have released CCTV footage in the hunt for those responsible for vandalising a new statue of Margaret Thatcher.

The £300,000 statue in the former prime minister’s hometown of Grantham was splashed with red paint at about 11.10pm last Saturday night in the second incident of vandalism at the site since the monument was erected on 15 May.

A communist hammer and sickle symbol was spray-painted on a fence surrounding the statue the same night.

Investigating officers from Lincolnshire Police said they were trying to identify the people in the footage and appealed to the public for help.

They said they also wanted to speak to a potential witness who was seen cycling on St Peters Hill, where the statue stands, around the time of the incident.

Paint on Thatcher statue after it was targeted again on Thursday (@ukrealnews/SWNS)

The statue of Baroness Thatcher, who led Britain from 1979-90 at a time of great social upheaval, has been vandalised three times in as many weeks.

The latest incident took place on Thursday and saw vandals throw red, white and blue paint over the front of the sculpture.

Previously a man threw eggs at the statue on the day it was erected.

In a statement after last Saturday’s incident, South Kesteven District Council said it “understands the strength of feeling surrounding the memorial” but “strongly condemns” anyone who attempts to damage public property.

Aftermath of last Saturday’s incident (Grantham Journal/SWNS)

Planners considered vandalism likely when designing the statue and placed it on a 10ft pillar with a CCTV camera installed opposite.

The statue was originally planned to be placed in London’s parliament square but due to vandalism fears it was relocated to the Lincolnshire market town where Thatcher was born in 1925.

Thatcher died in 2013 at the age of 87, leaving a divisive legacy. While some praise her for bringing lots of money into London, she is often criticised for cutting thousands of jobs across Britain by closing coal mines.