Paddington Bear statue bench targeted by vandals

A bench, on which a statue of Paddington Bear was seated, has been targeted by vandals in Southampton city centre.

The statue of Paddington was temporarily taken to a nearby coffee shop after the bench took a "battering" on Sunday, according to GO! Southampton.

It was one of dozens put up across the UK in October 2024 as part of the Paddington Visits trail to celebrate the film, Paddington in Peru.

Stephen Manion, executive director of GO! Southampton said the statue itself was "unharmed" and it would work with police to help find who caused the damage to the bench.

Southampton's bear was originally placed outside WestQuay shopping centre, before being moved to Guildhall Square.

Manion said the incident was a "real shame".

"His hat needs a bit of a repair and his paw's got a bit of scratch on it, but he'll be loved and looked after and back here very soon," he said.

Hampshire Constabulary confirmed it was investigating damage to the bench.

"We are making CCTV enquiries and speaking with witnesses to further investigate the matter," it added.

The vandalism comes a year after an identical Paddington statue in Newbury was ripped from a bench by two RAF Odiham engineers.

The bear was reinstated and unveiled at a ceremony last April in the Berkshire town.

Go!Southampton - the Business Improvement District organisation for the city centre - is responsible for the 3ft 6in statue.

Manion said: "Luckily, Paddington remains unharmed."

He explained that the statue of the marmalade-eating bear was being kept safely at its offices until the bench was fixed "ready for him to return home".

"We will be working on this as quickly as possible, so people won't be without Paddington for too long.

"There is clearly a lot of love for Paddington in the city," he added.

Southampton locals and visitors gave their reaction to the incident.

Ellie Lewis, a performer on cruise ships, said: "Paddington is a really prominent character, especially with UK culture.

"I think it's really important, especially in somewhere like Southampton, which is visited quite often by guests coming off of cruise ships, to see him out here."

"Why would you attack an inanimate object? It just seems redundant," Ewan Watts said.

Meanwhile, Mercy Ageitu said she felt "sad" that Paddington is no longer on his bench.

"I think the person who did it, that is not good. We can't wait to have it back again," she said.