Another iconic Paddington Bear statue takes a battering… and is now looking for a new home
Another iconic Paddington Bear statue was also attacked by vandals.
The iconic marmalade-eating bear’s bench was destroyed by hoodlums in Southampton and is now looking for a new home.
It is the second time in recent memory that a Paddington statue has been the target of vandals, after two RAF engineers smashed one in Newbury, Berkshire, in March 2025.
Fortunately, Southampton’s beloved version of the statue is safe and the incident has been reported to the police.
This figure is one of 23 Paddington statues unveiled nationwide in October 2024 to celebrate the release of Paddington in Peru.
Locals reacted to the news online, with Facebook user Carla Matthews asking ‘why are people destroying everything?’ he asked.
Another user named Sand Ray said: ‘Why do people do this…so sad.’
Other Facebook users said that the person who committed the vandalism was ‘retarded’ and suggested that CCTV should be installed in the area to prevent the same thing from happening again.
To go! Stephen Manion from Southampton with the Paddington Bear statue and damaged bench in Southampton. Yobs destroyed the bench and the iconic statue is now looking for a new home
‘Why do people destroy everything?’ Facebook user asked Carla Matthews hearing the news
The 42-inch-tall statue depicts Paddington in his iconic red hat and blue coat, holding a marmalade sandwich.
He was sitting on a bench near Westquay shopping center in Southampton, Hampshire.
To go! Southampton, the organization that maintains the statue, said in a statement: ‘It is a sad day for Southampton.
‘Our beloved Paddington bench took a beating in Guildhall Square at the weekend. Good news, Paddington is alive!
‘Thank you to Mettricks for keeping it safe overnight and to the John Hansard Gallery for helping us clean up. Now he takes shelter in our office and enjoys his marmalade sandwiches.
‘The incident has been reported to the police and we are working on a solution to repair the bench and find it a new home.’
At the unveiling, Southampton’s children’s mayor Freya Orendecki said: ‘It was a great honor to unveil the statue.
‘Paddington is so wonderful and has wonderful adventures. I liked him sitting there with his marmalade sandwich.
RAF engineers Daniel Heath and William Lawrence, both 23, admitted criminal damage after splitting the Paddington statue in Newbury in March last year.
The judge said the pair took the statue back to RAF Odiham in a taxi, where police confirmed it was listed on the Facebook market before removing it from the boot of Lawrence’s car.
The statue was repaired and returned to its home in Newbury a month after the attack.
‘The joy of Paddington is that he is silly, funny and always happy.
‘He always wants to make new friends and adventures and every day is different.’
RAF engineers Daniel Heath and William Lawrence, both 23, admitted destroying the Paddington statue in Newbury last year.
Sentencing, district judge Sam Goozee said the pair’s ‘actions were the antithesis of everything Paddington stood for at Reading Magistrates’ Court’.
At 2 a.m. on March 2, 2025, during a drunken night, they tore down the front part of the statue.
The pair then took the statue back to RAF Odiham in a taxi and Thames Valley Police confirmed the statue was listed on the Facebook market before officers removed it from the boot of Lawrence’s car, the judge heard.
Neighborhood residents were upset and left jars of marmalade, sandwiches and poems at the scene.
They were both given a 12-month community order and ordered to pay £2,725 to repair the damage.
Tom Brymer, the defendants’ defense lawyer, told the court they were “extremely ashamed of their actions”.
The statue was repaired and replaced with a new one in April last year.
