London: A statue of legendary Test cricket umpire Dickie Bird is to be raised by five feet to stop people hanging condoms and knickers on his outstretched finger.
The sculpture, in his hometown of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, has become a magnet for revellers who have hung rude items, as well as pumpkins and chip boxes, from the iconic digit.
The plinth supporting the life-size artwork, which shows the former umpire raising his index finger to indicate a batsman is out, is being raised 5ft to make the finger harder to reach.
Mr Bird said he did not mind people having fun hanging items from the statue but worried about people falling off the plinth.
He said: 'I think it's respect they have for you that the only thing they have not done is damage it.
'I do not mind doing it at all. They can take as many photographs as they like but they're climbing on to it and they might fall off.'
On Friday and Saturday night everybody who wobbles home from the town after a few sherberts seems to gravitate towards that finger, with knickers, brasiers, condoms, whatever.
Dickie has been seen occasionally on Saturday morning cleaning the debris off himself, so it needed to be done.
Sculptor Graham Ibbeson has also designed statues of comedians including Eric Morecambe, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, as well as famous sporting figures such as Fred Trueman and William Webb Ellis.
