A ROW has broken out over a major piece of art described as being "like a particularly bad taste, LSD-inspired, Seventies album cover" planned for Redcar High Street.

Councillors queued up to denounce a six-metre high sheet metal sculpture depicting seven fish.

The sculpture, called The Seven Plaice, would be erected by Teesland Developments Ltd as part of a £26m shopping development.

On Wednesday members of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council planning committee denounced the piece by artist David Kemp, which is already being built by Teesland. They also criticised their own planning officers for not conducting a more wide-ranging consultation exercise.

Coun Charles Davies said: "The consultation with councillors and the public has been atrocious. There has been just one sign put up and anyone wishing to see an artist's impression has had to go to Guisborough. To me this work of art, if you can call it that, is an abhorrence."

Committee member Joyce Benbow agreed that consultation had been inadequate. She said: "I'd say no more than 1,000 people out of 40,000 in Redcar even know about it.

"I've tried to show a picture of this to people of all age groups and all socio-economic groups and there was not a single voice of approval for it."

Other concerns were raised that the sculpture would be vandalised, could impede pedestrians and emergency vehicles and would rust. One councillor said that plaice were not even caught off the Redcar coast.

Other committee members suggested a work of art to commemorate the work in the shipping industry of famous townsman Plimsoll should be created instead.

Only one councillor, Richard Rudland, spoke up for the piece of modern art. He said: "All modern art tends to be controversial, but it raises awareness. I remember all the outcry about the Angel of the North in Gateshead but if you tried to move a single rivet now there would be an outcry."

Chairman Helen McLuckie pointed out that the council had completed its statutory consultation requirements and that private companies did not consult with the public in the same way as public bodies.

Following the debate it was agreed that the planning decision be deferred and a special sub-committee be established to investigate further.