Thieves target New Brighton prom project

Jun 18 2008 by Lorna Hughes, Wallasey News

New Brighton Prom

A PROJECT to improve the promenade from Seacombe to New Brighton has suffered a setback after vandals stole a vital piece of artwork.

The Ring - part of Wirral’s £200,000 Millennium Trail - is set into the promenade close to the Tower Grounds.

It was recently taken up by contractors working on a United Utilities storage tank under the prom - but while the pieces were re-bolted, thieves took one set of four figures before they could be set into the ground.

Wirral Council said it had no alternative but to pay for replacements from the Pride in our Promenades budget.

Creating “improved settings” for the seven pieces of artwork which make up the Millennium Trail is a major part of the £1m Mersey Waterfront programme.

It is hoped most of the work will be finished by the end of June, in time for the return of the Tall Ships to the Mersey.

New Brighton councillor Tony Pritchard said it was important repairs were carried out swiftly.

He told the News: “Further down the promenade they’ve been putting white borders around the Millennium Trail to make them stand out but we need the Ring to be looked at because it’s going to look a mess.”

The promenade project has been funded by grants from the EU and the Northwest Development Agency through Mersey Waterfront.

A spokesman for Wirral Council said: “We are in the process of getting replacements cast, using the original artist and fabricator.

“As there is clearly no blame to attach, we have no alternative but to pay for this work from the Pride in our Promenades budget.

“The cost is not substantial.”