Dolphin trail delay as vandals break statue

Vandals have broken a giant dolphin statue that was set to be part of a fundraising trail around Guernsey and Herm.

Echo the dolphin is one of 62 statues which will be stationed around the island as part of a special trail to raise funds for Guernsey's largest animal welfare charity and Autism Guernsey.

GSPCA manager Steve Byrne said the "deliberate vandalism" was discovered on Saturday morning and has been reported to the police.

Andrew Sparks, director of Autism Guernsey, said: "We were just days away now in getting all the dolphins in place, but this sadly means a slight delay."

The statue was decorated by pupils from St Martin's Primary School, and head teacher Clare Giles said the incident "was very sad news".

Mr Byrne said once the statue had been repaired, pupils would be able to redecorate it.

He added that the damage occurred either on Friday night or the early hours of Saturday morning.

"In all the years these events have taken place, this is the first time such deliberate vandalism has occurred," he said.

Anyone with relevant information about the vandalism has been urged to contact police.

Sixty eight dolphin sculptures will eventually be placed around the island, which people will be able to track down via an app.

Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].