Nottingham’s famous Robin Hood statue has been damaged again, leaving the city council with a repair bill which could stretch to thousands of pounds.
The statue on Castle Road is missing the lower half of its bow, which appears to have snapped off, close to the left hand.
The monument has suffered similar damage several times in the past, sometimes being vandalised. The lower half the bow was broken off deliberately twice in 2009 and also lost in 2008.
It was not immediately clear exactly when the bow had been broken, but photographs on social media show the piece has been missing at least since Saturday, July 7.
Video: Visitors and business owners say the statue should be repaired as soon as possible.
Business owners and visitors called on Nottingham City Council to repair the landmark quickly.
“It’s not great for the look of the city. It’s very, very famous, you get a lot of people, especially students during graduation, who like to get a selfie,” said Ewan Clarke, general manager of the Castle Pub opposite the statue.
“Obviously it’s not good it’s been vandalised, ideally we get that fixed as soon as possible.”
A Nottingham City Council spokesman said: “We are aware that the statue has unfortunately been damaged and are currently making arrangements to repair it.”
The statue was unveiled in 1952 on Castle Road and is made of eight pieces of bronze. Weighing half a ton in total, the 7ft high figure was originally intended to provide a focal point for city visitors interested in the legend of the famous outlaw.
Sculpted by James Woodford, the statue was placed outside the castle walls to reflect Robin’s status as an ‘outsider’ who opposed the establishment.
Bronze casting of sculptures typically cost thousands of pounds and can only be done by skilled workers in a specialist foundry.
