SPIRITED AWAY

MYSTERY AS CAMPAIGN GROUP’S GHOSTLY PRAMS GO MISSING

TWO ghostly white prams left chained to bike racks in Leicester have gone missing.

The pair of old prams were left in the city centre by climate campaign group Extinction Rebellion to signify the damage being done to the future of the world’s children.

The Leicester branch of Extinction Rebellion chained one pram to a bike rack near the Clock Tower and another to one opposite the Orange Tree pub in High Street 10 days ago.

But when they went to move them to another location after a week, the prams were missing.

Local Extinction Rebellion spokeswoman Elaine Carter said: “We don’t know if they have been stolen or if the authorities have taken them away.

“If they have been stolen they won’t be much use to anyone as they were old prams which were out of service.

“In the dark they look particularly eerie.

“We have been told they look haunting and striking, which gets people thinking and helps us get our message across.

“We painted them up to make them look ghostly to grab people’s attention.

“At least it looks like that has worked.”

A police spokesman said: “The prams were not removed by us.”

The group also left a pram in Queen’s Road in Clarendon Park, which has now been moved to Narborough.

Others were left at the Thurmaston entrance to Watermead Park and one at Mammoth Hill in the park itself. One of these has been moved to Birstall and the other to another location.

All were chained to a bike rack, railings or street furniture.

“They have been placed by Leicester Extinction Rebellion as a reminder of the damage we are doing to our children’s futures by not taking urgent action to address the climate emergency,” said Elaine.

“Figures show that a third of UK children already live in toxic air zones. We badly need a green recovery.

“The pandemic has shown how quickly the government can act. The climate emergency deserves the same quick and decisive action, yet the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill put before parliament in September has been delayed again.

“We need to urgently follow its recommendations to bring the climate crisis under control. We need to make our country and the world fit for our children.”