Vandals warned: Stay off Goosey

VANDALS and troublemakers have been warned that "antisocial behaviour will not be tolerated" after reports of people targeting Nottingham's Goose Fair mascot, Goosey.

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Since the 1960s, the statue has appeared on the Mansfield Road roundabout near the Forest Recreation Ground, to mark the annual fair's return to the city.

This year, Goosey landed at her usual perch earlier than past years at the request of organisers The Showmen's Guild, who wanted to create momentum in the run-up to the event. But since the statue was first installed on September 2, it has been the target of antisocial behaviour.

Two days after she returned to the roundabout, Goosey became an unlikely participant in the Operation Raise the Colours movement, which has seen thousands of Union Jack and St George's Cross flags being stuck up across the UK.

The patron saint's red cross was spray painted on the statue in an act described by Nottingham City Council as "a step too far."