Reprieve for Market Drayton brick gingerbread man

Nine members of Market Drayton Town Council have signed a signatory note to revisit the item after it was revealed the brickwork was under threat of being ripped up.

The town's 12ft-long brick gingerbread man was due to be removed after town councillors decided it had become an eyesore and was too difficult to maintain.

Kate Harvey, assistant town clerk, said: "Under council rules the item has received nine signatures for it to be revisited, so it will. The council will look at it again at a full council meeting in September. It will be put as one of the items on the agenda.

"Until then the gingerbread man will remain untouched."

Councillors were told of an offer, revealed in Saturday's Shropshire Star, from staff at the nearby Gingerbread Man pub.

Carl Owen, general manager, at the Gingerbread Man pub, said they wanted to keep the figure as it was an important historical link to the town's gingerbread history. He said: "We are big on protecting local historical things as well as doing things for the community and charity.

"A gentleman came into the pub yesterday to speak to me about the figure. He said he that we (the pub) had paid for the figure to be built originally, 15 years ago. We are now doing some more research to see if it had been a gift or was owned by the pub.

"There is a mould of the gingerbread man still in circulation as well.

"If the town council did decide to demolish it we would ask that the bricks are left intact so we can resurrect it on our property and maintain it."