Paddington statue to return 'sooner rather than later'

A Paddington Bear statue that was badly damaged when it was taken from a bench will be restored "sooner rather than later".

The front of the sculpture was cut away and removed from his seat in Northbrook Street, Newbury, Berkshire at about 02:00 GMT on 2 March.

A date for Paddington's return has yet to be confirmed but the Newbury Business Improvement District (BID), which is responsible for it, said it would be looking for sponsorship to cover its costs.

Two men were charged with criminal damage the day after it was taken and have been bailed.

Newbury BID's chief executive Trish Willetts wrote in an online update that it remained in "early conversations" with StudioCanal, which owns the rights for Paddington.

"We are delighted to confirm that we will be able to bring him back," she told BID partners in an online update.

"A date is still to be confirmed, but we are looking sooner rather than later.

"There is a cost implication to this, so rather than take funding from our reserves we will be looking for sponsorship and funding elsewhere to cover all of the costs in relation to this, with further details coming soon."

She added that the BID had received "so many offers of funding, sponsorship and opportunities to fundraise already".

Daniel Heath, 22, from Thornton, West Yorkshire, and William Lawrence, also 22, from Enderby, Leicestershire, were both charged on 3 March.

Both were released on conditional bail ahead of an appearance at Reading Magistrates' Court on 25 March.

You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.