Artist's War Horse sculpture banned from Norfolk roundabouts

An artist has been told to stop displaying a giant horse sculpture on roundabouts by councillors who say it could cause accidents.

Damian O'Connor put his 10ft (3m) War Horse at several sites near Norwich.

Norfolk County Council said it was an "obstruction" and not allowed on "highway land", as reported in the EDP.

Mr O'Connor hit back at the "jobworths" and said drivers rarely crash into Nelson's Column or the Arc de Triomphe, which are also on roundabouts.

The artist, from Taverham, Norfolk, said the roundabouts near his home and on the new Northern Distributor Road were "a great stage for the work".

He said he wheels his horse, which is made from steel, wood and reeds, out to various roundabouts "at three in the morning, where he looks wonderful under the stars".

However, Norfolk County Council disagreed and wrote to him about his "item on the highway", saying he must "remove the item as soon as possible" or "further enforcement action" could be taken by the highways department.

The council also warned Mr O'Connor he could be liable for any "claim for civil damages for loss or personal injury" should his horse be deemed to have caused an accident.

Mr O'Connor described the council officer as a "jobsworth" and said the email was "daft" in his reply.

He also accused the council of "hypocritical twaddle" and questioned whether advertising space sold by the council on its roundabouts was also deemed to be a distraction.

Mr O'Connor said he was not trying to sell his work but was displaying it to "commemorate the millions of horses lost in wars".

The artist said he had not yet heard back from the council.

However, a spokesman for the authority told the BBC they had "used our discretion in this case but now had to ask that the sculpture is removed and the owner finds a more suitable place to promote the artwork".

The council has a "legal duty" to consider whether "anything on highway land [could] cause an unnecessary or dangerous obstruction, or reduce visibility", he added.