County’s dragon sculpture damaged with saw

Several parts of a “much-loved” wooden sculpture of the Somerset dragon have been sawn off.

The dragon statue on Taunton’s High Street is missing an arm, toes, an ear and its tongue.

Somerset Council says it believes the sculpture, which was unveiled in 2023, has been targeted by vandals.

A spokesperson said it is currently reviewing the best course of action with regard to repairs.

The 13ft (4 m) high wooden dragon was created by chainsaw artist Matthew Crabb to reference the county’s folklore.

It was commissioned by the former Somerset and West Taunton Council.

Mr Crabb’s friend and fellow chainsaw artist Simon O’Rourke said: “He created this sculpture to make something really nice for the town.”

Mr O’Rourke added: “It’s not a straightforward repair. One of the things about making repairs is that you’re then applying new wood to old and it dries at a different rate and it will look very different for quite a while.”

Somerset Council said: “Repairs will be carried out when we have determined how we can ensure the continued protection of the sculpture which has become a much-loved part of Taunton’s town centre.”