What an ice sore! Families complain huge £69,000 Olympic torch statue unveiled ... trends now
A huge £69,000 sculpture of an Olympic torch unveiled in a Hampshire housing estate has left residents baffled, as one pointed out it looks like a giant Cornetto.
The 10m (31ft) high piece of art installed by the council in the market town of Andover has been branded an irrelevant 'monstrosity'.
One resident warned that 'the cone will be filled with junk' as if it is an 'enormous basketball hoop', while another was concerned that children will climb on it and potentially hurt themselves.
The silver metal torch is said to represent a 'symbol of hope' for residents and was paid for by a housing company as part of a 'public art' project.
However, locals have said that the Olympic theme has 'no connection to anything' and the 'upside down ice cream cone' is nothing but an 'eyesore'.
An enormous 10m high Olympic torch sculpture (pictured) has been installed in Andover, Hampshire
The torch, situated in the Picket Twenty Sports Ground (pictured), cost £69,000, leaving residents questioning if its a good use of money
The sculpture (base pictured) is Olympic-themed because 'the build up to the London 2012 Olympic Games was processed through the Picket Twenty Urban Park' but locals say its irrelevant and 'not associated with anything'
One mother insisted it is a 'waste of money', and that the money should have been used for fix the 'awful' roads.
The sculpture, by artist Tim Ward, is in the Urban Park of a recent development called Picket Twenty, built by Persimmon Homes.
It is one of three new artworks in the area, which cost £69,000 between them.
In their planning application, designers said: 'The 'Torch' sculpture represents a symbol of hope that guides, like a signal fire of old on a hill, of flaming tower or pole, people to the Urban Park.
'The idea for the Olympic torch was derived from ancient Greece, where a sacred fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics on the altar of the sanctuary of Hestia.
'In Ancient Greek mythology, fire had divine connotations - it was thought to have been stolen from the gods by Prometheus.
'Every four years, when Zeus was honoured at the Olympic Games, additional fires were lit at his temple and that of his wife, Hera.
'The modern Olympic game is still ignited in front of the ruins of the temple of Hera.
'During the build up to the London 2012 Olympic Games was processed through the Picket Twenty Urban Park. The torch design takes the form of sweeping 'movement' curves with kinetic elements.'
The 'torch' (pictured) has sparked outrage among residents, with one branding is a 'monstrosity' and another warning that 'the cone will end up filled with junk'
The sculpture (pictured) is supposed to be a 'symbol of hope' for those in the area
Construction of Picket Twenty, formerly a hamlet, began in 2010 and the suburb consists of 1,200 homes.
Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC), based in Andover, took to Facebook to introduce the artwork located on the sports pitches of a 'new neighbourhood' within the town.
Writing on Facebook, the council said: 'We've been introducing you to the new artwork at Picket 20.
'They've all been funded from Section 106 developer contributions from Persimmon Homes for public art on the development.
'The Torch is currently being finalised on the Urban Park. This impressive 9.5m tall landmark sculpture represents a symbol of hope to guide people to this well-used space.'
In total, three
