KING Alfred the Great has been crowned again... with a traffic cone.

The statue of the historic early monarch in Wantage was left sporting the conical party hat-style bonnet as a result of a prank.

The statue has stood in the town's Market Place for almost 150 years after being commissioned by Col Robert Loyd-Lindsay to mark the 1,000th anniversary of the king's birth in the town.

It was sculpted by Count Gleichen, a relative of Queen Victoria, and unveiled on July 14, 1877, by the Prince and Princess of Wales, the future Edward VII and his wife.

Oxford Mail: Picture by Jay Masters-ReadPicture by Jay Masters-Read (Image: Jay Masters-Read)

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Passersby spotting the statue on Saturday reported the bright orange traffic cone placed on the king's head at an angle.

Though some have dubbed the prank as funny, others condemned it as disrespectful.

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Read more from this author

This story was written by Gee Harland. She joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Wallingford, Wantage and Didcot.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland

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