The aftermath of the accident

Experts have been drafted in by council bosses in an attempt to salvage a sculpture in Telford which was smashed to pieces by a lorry.

The metal sculpture, which has stood on Granville Roundabout in Donnington for the last 12 years, was demolished when a 14-tonne lorry drove onto the island and straight into the memorial yesterday morning.

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Telford & Wrekin Council has organised for it to be removed from the island tomorrow.

It will be taken to a specialist workshop in Ironbridge where experts will assess the damage and work out how much it will cost to save the 20-year-old piece of artwork.

Councillor Stephen Bentley, cabinet member for environment, said: “The council are currently in talks with our insurers and the sculpture will be removed from the Granville Roundabout on Wednesday morning.

“We will then be able to assess the extent of the damage and get an estimate for the cost of repair or replacement.”

The council confirmed it has no plans to put anything in its place in the interim.

The original home for the sculpture was in Granville Country Park, where it was unveiled in 1989, until it became an attraction for vandals and was moved to Granville Roundabout in 1997.

The sculpture of a miner and pony pulling a cart was commissioned in memory of the work carried out by miners at the country park, which was the last working deep mine in Shropshire and is now a nature reserve.

The intricate work took Madeley artist Gerry Foxall months to piece together.

His wife, Dianne, yesterday said: “It took a lot of time for him to do it and he did it for Granville Park and then it was moved to the island. He is in hospital at the moment and I know he is not going to be very happy when he hears about what happened.

“But he will be pleased if he knows they are going to put it back together again.”

It is believed the driver of the lorry involved in yesterday’s smash lost control approaching the roundabout on St Georges Road. He is not thought to have been hurt.

By Jason Lavan