Odd News

Thatcher statue would be menace

(AFP)
Updated: 2006-09-30 15:21

A proposed statue of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in her home town would be dangerous to road-users, the local council insisted.

An independent councillor in Grantham, eastern central England, reportedly came up with the idea to honour Thatcher, 80, who was born and raised above her father's grocery shop in the market town.

But the proposed site -- in the middle of a roundabout -- could cause traffic chaos, said a South Kesteven District Council spokeswoman.

"There would be health and safety issues with people trying to cross the road to see it," she said.

However, Grantham's member of parliament, Quentin Davies, said the "Iron Lady" thought it was a bad idea from the start.

"I put it to her and she said -- I think very characteristically -- she didn't want a statue, she wanted something useful if we were going to do anything at all," he told the BBC.

"She said she would prefer something like a library or an IT centre or even a combination of the two."

Thatcher was Britain's prime minister from 1979 to 1990, when she was ousted by her own party in favour of John Major, who eventually lost to Tony Blair's New Labour in 1997.