Village vote on Britten memorial

Paint was thrown at the scallop sculpture last week

A controversial memorial to the composer Benjamin Britten could be moved from the beach at Aldeburgh in Suffolk.

Hundreds of people signed a petition asking for the sculpture in honour of the composer to be put elsewhere.

Last Sunday vandals splattered with the 12-foot stainless steel scallop shell with white paint.

Now Aldeburgh Town Council has said residents will decide what should happen to by voting in a referendum.

The sculpture, commissioned by Britten enthusiasts who raised £70,000, was created by artist Maggi Hambling and put on the beach last autumn.

Unspoiled shingle beach

It was designed to commemorate Britten's links with the town, but its position has been controversial from the start.

Many local residents have said it should not have been erected on a stretch of unspoiled shingle beach which is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Composer Britten, who died in 1976, was born in Lowestoft, Suffolk, and wrote the operas Peter Grimes and Billy Budd.

He lived in the Aldeburgh area and maintained strong links with its musical community throughout his life.