Derbyshire council hopes to have 'racist' black head pub sign back in its 'possession' later today

The sign in Ashbourne was taken down by a group of up to 150 people last night – who said it was only a temporary measure to protect the head from vandalism.

A petition, signed by more than 41,000 people, demands the caricature of a black man's head above the Green Man pub sign is removed permanently.

MORE: 'Racist' black head taken down from Derbyshire pub sign 'to protect it'

A council spokesperson said: “We were made aware last night by one of our own Ashbourne councillors that approximately 150 locals had gathered by The Green Man & Black's Head sign.

“The councillor was able to speak to the group and explain our position - that we needed to take urgent action to take down the "head" figure temporarily in the interests of public safety ahead of a consultation.

“The group, who had ladders, then decided they would remove the figure themselves for safe keeping and, not wanting to create a confrontation, in the circumstances we did not object.

“The sign was gifted to the council a number of years ago and we expect to have possession of the head figure later today.

“We need to decide the next steps, including any consultation process. For clarity, if any decision was taken in the future to remove the head permanently, it would need listed building consent and, as a Grade II* listed structure, would require consultation with Historic England. Because it has a Grade II* listing, we cannot grant consent to ourselves without referral.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

Nancy Fielder, editor