Margaret Thatcher statue pelted with eggs just hours after being lowered into place

A protester threw eggs at a statue of Margaret Thatcher just hours after it was installed today.

Only one managed to connect with the monument - which cost £300,000 - as the man throwing them stood behind a temporary fence erected around its base.

Footage shared on Sunday morning shows someone shouting "oi!" after the egg smashes against the lower part of the statue, which has been installed in Thatcher's hometown of Grantham in Lincolnshire.

The monument was originally planned to be erected outside the Houses of Parliament in London.

Despite its unveiling being delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the statue was erected on a 10ft-high granite plinth.

A statue of Margaret Thatcher is lowered into place in her home town of Grantham (PA)

Reports originally presented to South Kesteven District Council showed the statue was moved to the area due to fears of a “motivated far-left movement… who may be committed to public activism”.

After a large-scale £100,000 unveiling ceremony was approved by the council in 2020, a Facebook group proposing an “egg-throwing contest” at the event attracted interest from more than 13,000 people.

Around 2,400 others visited the Facebook page to say they would go to the event including “egg throwing … and potentially graffiti art”.

A CCTV camera has been installed directly opposite the memorial to attempt to combat any threats of vandalism, the council said.

A man in a white T-shirt was seen holding an egg carton in one hand and preparing to throw an egg from the other on Sunday.

Egg residue and a piece of shell could be seen on the statue’s lower half.

Police turned up at the scene within minutes of the incident.

Another man arrived wearing a t-shirt displaying the words “coal not dole”.

Plenty of people visited the site on Sunday after the memorial’s installation, with many taking selfies.

Passing motorists loudly booed the monument, with one shouting “tear it down” and another saying “this is no good for Grantham, is it?”

Before planning permission was given to the statue, the only marking of Baroness Thatcher in the town was a plaque on the corner of North Parade and Broad Street to show where she was born.

A council spokesman said the Public Memorials Appeal, which funded the monument through donations, will host an official unveiling ceremony at a later date.

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