A DUDLEY landmark got chopped off near the ankles after a car crash caused an oversized shovel shocker.

The Dudley workman figure on the Cinder Bank traffic island was left minus his shovel after the smash on May 26.

The figure is part of a work on the island called Fires of Industry by artists Philip Bews and Diane Gorvin and represents the workers who brought prosperity to the Black Country during the industrial revolution.

Councillor Khurshid Ahmed, Dudley cabinet member for transportation, said: “The statue has been damaged in a car accident and we will look to recast the broken part as soon as possible.

“We don’t yet know what the cost of this will be, but it is likely to be more than £1,000. We are hoping to recoup this money from the insurance company that covers the person who had the accident.”

The bronze figure, which was placed on the island as part of a Millennium project to create public art in Dudley, has previously been a target for vandals and pranksters who have daubed him with paint or dressed him in scarves, sheets and capes.