Mindless vandals have damaged Tonypandy’s iconic Lady With The Lamp statue less than two weeks after it was unveiled before hundreds of people.
The historic landmark was returned to its rightful home after a full-scale refurbishment programme was carried out in time for the commemoration events to mark the centenary of the Tonypandy Riots.
But within two weeks of the event, which attracted thousands of people from throughout the country to the Rhondda town, vandals have sprayed graffiti on the plinth of the statue which is situated on De Winton Street.
Cllr Robert Bevan, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Recreation and Tourism attended the unveiling ceremony and branded the perpetrators of the damage as “mindless thugs”.
Cllr Bevan said: “This absolutely disgusts and infuriates me beyond imagination. Individual organisations have worked hard raising funds to ensure the Lady with the Lamp was fully restored and placed back in the centre of her hometown.
“Within less than two weeks she succumbs to a bout of vandalism from some mindless thugs. Such actions are appalling and are carried out by an idiotic minority who have no respect for the local community and its people.
“Such perpetrators must be identified and brought to justice because behaviour like this is totally unacceptable. It undermines the very fabric of our communities. This community turned out in force to celebrate the unveiling of the Lady with the Lamp 101 years after it was first unveiled. To think it has been damaged already is infuriating beyond belief.”
The iconic image which stood in the centre of the town for over 60 years was paid for by the miners of the local “Scotch” Colliery. It was damaged in a car accident on Tonypandy Square in the 1960s and moved to other locations before going into storage. The Council worked with its partners including the Rhondda Civic Society, Rhondda Cynon Taf Community Arts and The Civic Trust for Wales to totally refurbish the statue and create a community garden where the statue is now situated.
Vandals have since sprayed the silver graffiti on the plinth itself. The Council’s Streetcare Team will now examine the damage and begin the process of carefully removing the spray paint.
David Lewis of Rhondda Civic Society explained, “We worked tirelessly to raise sufficient funds for the refurbishment process to take place and to think this has happened is very upsetting and frustrating.
“It’s a pity that a well-loved monument has been spoilt in this way and considering we’ve had almost no problem with the Miner’s Family Statue which the Civic Society also raised funds for.”
The incident has been reported to South Wales Police who will continue to monitor the area.Neighbourhood Policing Inspector for Rhondda, Mike Jones, said: “Our officers, like the local community, share a sense of pride in the statue and they are keen to identify who the culprit or culprits are.
“We have increased visibility in the area as a deterrent to any further incidents, and we would encourage anyone who has information to contact the Neighbourhood Policing team at Tonypandy via 101 or contact Crimestoppers via 0800 555 111.
