The creator of a landmark statue of Boadicea is calling for her return to Colchester - two years after she was carted off on the back of a lorry.

Standing tall - Sculptor Jonathan Clarke's statue of Boadicea, which stood at the Asda roundabout in Colchester. 4940-34a

Sculptor Jonathan Clarke is sick of tripping over the 16ft-high warrior queen in his yard. He offered to look after the imposing statue when it was removed from the Adsa roundabout to make way for a new road.

"I was told to expect about six weeks," said Mr Clarke.

"She's been in my yard for more than two years now - that's longer than Boadicea spent fighting the Romans."

The statue went to Mr Clarke's workshop near Bury St Edmunds to be cleaned. But a row over who pays for her return means she's still there two years later.

A year ago Colchester Council promised the statue would be back "very soon".

Planning services manager Vincent Pearce said it now needs a new base, adding: "We are seeking funding for these alterations and hope the statue will return in the near future."

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Published Friday, January 21, 2005

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