Margaret Thatcher statue ‘egged’ hours after being installed

A statue of Baroness Margaret Thatcher has been “egged” less than two hours after it was installed in her home town.

A protester threw eggs from behind a temporary fence surrounding the memorial, with a cry of "oi" heard after one hit part of the monument.

Lincolnshire Police said no arrests have been made in connection with the incident, but they did receive a report of criminal damage shortly after 10am yesterday.

The statue was lowered into place in Grantham, Lincolnshire, amid previous threats of "egg throwing" and was booed by passing motorists.

In February 2019, a planning committee unanimously voted in favour of the £300,000 statue – which was originally intended for Parliament Square in Westminster.

Despite its unveiling being delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the statue was erected on a 10ft-high granite plinth yesterday morning.

Reports originally presented to South Kesteven District Council showed the statue was moved to the area due to fears of a "motivated far-left movement ... who may be committed to public activism".

After a large-scale £100,000 unveiling ceremony was approved by the council in 2020, a Facebook group proposing an "egg-throwing contest" at the event attracted interest from more than 13,000 people.

Around 2,400 others visited the Facebook page to say they would go to the event including "egg throwing ... and potentially graffiti art".

A CCTV camera has been installed directly opposite the memorial to attempt to combat any threats of vandalism, the council said.

A man in a white T-shirt was seen holding an egg carton in one hand and preparing to throw an egg from the other yesterday. Egg residue and a piece of shell could be seen on the statue's lower half.

Police turned up at the scene within minutes of the incident.

In a statement, a Lincolnshire Police spokeswoman said: "We have received reports of criminal damage to the Margaret Thatcher statue shortly after 10am this morning (May 15).

"No arrests have been made. "Inquiries are still ongoing." Plenty of people visited the site yesterday.