A £7,000 statue of Harry Kane wasn’t installed on a station platform over fears train drivers would crash.
The project, commissioned by Waltham Forest Council, risked “distracting” Transport for London (TfL) staff, officials have revealed.
It was originally going to be installed at Chingford station, in east London.
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“The main distraction issue was not concerned with the statue, but the actions of persons around it, including posing for photographs on/next to it, hanging items on it such as scarfs, etc,” Gemma Jacob, a senior Freedom of Information (FOI) case officer for TfL, said.
The statue was only discovered to exist in February and led to speculation over what it actually looked like.
The Big Issue later managed to obtain photos from the sculptors which were released in March, as reported by Need To Know.
TfL has now revealed the depiction of England’s captain was rejected because of safety concerns following a risk assessment.
Ms Jacob said: “After initial feedback the proposal was not progressed.
“A detailed assessment of the risks of locating the statue on the platform was not undertaken, therefore we do not hold this information.
“Initial concerns that were fed back related to the risk that having the statue in proximity to the buffer stops could cause a distraction to train drivers as they approach the terminal (dead-end) platforms at Chingford.”
The statue, which cost £7,200, has now been left in storage.
Leading The Three Lions at the Euro 2024 in Germany, Kane and his fellow teammates will play their first match against Serbia on 16 June 2024 at 8pm.
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