A LANDMARK statue is to be removed from a city centre for the second time in as many years, after it was struck by a vehicle.

A driver collided with the Neptune statue, in Durham Market Place, yesterday, causing its stone plinth to become twisted and part of its upper rim to fall off.

Durham County Council said the statue itself was not damaged, but the statue and plinth would have to be removed.

Dave Wafer, the council’s strategic manager, said: “The statue is not damaged but the modern plinth it stands on has been dislodged.

“We will be erecting scaffolding around the statue in order to make it safe and, in the coming days, the statue will be taken into storage and plinth will be taken away for repair.

“We will be working to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum.”

A Durham Police spokesman said the incident had been reported, but was being dealt with by the council.

The collision caused disruption to traffic in the Market Place for some time but the area was operating as normal by noon.

The Neptune statue, which formerly stood near St Nicholas’ Church, was moved closer to the road through the Market Place under the controversial £5.25m Heart of the City regeneration scheme, which also saw the Lord Londonderry statue moved.

It was last removed from the Market Place in summer 2010, when it was taken to be cleaned.

It had been due to be reinstated in September of that year, but its return was delayed and it was not back in place until June last year.

Heart of the City also saw the Market Place get a “shared surface”, meaning the road and pavement are now level.

Critics say vehicles now cross into pedestrian areas and people with sight problems are unable to distinguish between the road and pavement. Several new benches have been damaged by vehicles.

The Neptune statue was originally sited in the Market Place in 1729. It symbolised an ambitious, and ultimately failed, plan to turn Durham into an inland sea port. It was moved to Wharton Park in 1923 but returned to the Market Place in 1991.