Calls for better maintenance of William Wallace statue

Aberdeen Central MSP Kevin Stewart has expressed concerns over the maintenance of the city's William Wallace statue.

A water feature was added to the historical sculpture during the £30 million refurbishment of Union Terrace Gardens.

Since then, it's understood the upkeep of the statue has been carried out by the developers of the new gardens but is due to be placed back in the hands of Aberdeen City Council in the near future.

However, Mr. Stewart says council workers have not yet received sufficient training to clean or repair the feature.

He said: "The Wallace statue is very, very well renowned and loved by the people of Aberdeen and by visitors. For some, the water feature that was put in place was not to their liking. One of the things we must ensure is that the water feature is maintained.

"My understanding is that no council worker has been trained to maintain and repair the water feature as necessary. All of that is due to be handed over to the council from the developer in the very near future."

"So, it’s absolutely vital that council workers are trained to maintain that water feature to make sure that it’s working okay and also to ensure that there’s no damage to the statue or the surrounding area if that feature fails."

The water feature is currently switched off - it's unclear if this is related to the issue.

Aberdeen City Council has been approached for comment.