Damage to the iconic Eleanor Rigby statue in Liverpool city centre was not caused by vandalism despite first fears.
At the weekend the reclining bronze figure situated on Stanley Street was found partially smashed, with portions of the stone seat collapsed on the ground. In October 2019, the bronze copy of a Liverpool ECHO newspaper which formed part of the statue was stolen, along with the inscribed plaque behind it.
The plaque, which refers to The Beatles' famous 1966 hit Eleanor Rigby with the quote "All the lonely people", was also stolen in September 2018. The statue was designed by Tommy Steele, who offered to create a tribute to the Fab Four after performing in Liverpool in 1981.
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It was unveiled the following year, and depicts the fictional Ms Rigby, who "lives in a dream, waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door". It had been feared originally that the damage caused to the statue had been the result of mindless vandals targeting the historic monument.
Liverpool Council has confirmed that following a review of the CCTV footage, fears of criminality had been allayed and had been caused by what it described as "an unfortunate accident." An assessment of the statue's state and required refurbishment and repairs will now be undertaken by officers from the local authority.
There had been concerns that the city council would have to fund repairs for the historic artwork amid having to find £73m in budget savings ahead of the new financial year. In a statement, a spokesperson for Liverpool Council said: “Following a review of CCTV footage we can see that the damage over the weekend to the Eleanor Rigby statute was an unfortunate accident.
“An assessment of the statue and the repairs needed is now being undertaken.”
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