I've been told to remove my controversial 20ft high nude gold statue or face court action and a £2,500 fine

The imposing Roman Gladiator statue - once used to promote the Russell Crowe blockbuster - was re-erected at Bulldog Forge, in Ince, Wigan, Gtr Manchester, last month. The much-loved figure - known to locals as 'Golden Balls' - was taken down on October 11, 2022, after Wigan Council ordered its removal after complaints from neighbours.

The decision caused a backlash in the community which later set up Facebook pages and petitions for him to be returned. But since his return on November 26 hundreds of locals have been left thrilled to see their 'much loved' Golden Balls again.

Now just weeks later the owner Grant Adamson, 60, says he has received a letter from Wigan Council ordering him to remove the statue or face a court battle and a potential £2,500 fine. He said: "Well, we knew it wouldn't last, didn't we.

"I received a letter threatening court action and a potential £2,500 fine if the Golden Man's not removed by New Year's Eve. They are saying it's an advertisement - I don't agree, but sadly in this town it seems your opinion doesn't matter."

Grant posted an update on this Facebook page, which has drawn over 400 messages from locals offering his support. One said: "Where is their sense of humour! It could be a landmark!" Another resident said: "See if the makers of Viagra can help you keep him up."

Another said: "What he's advertising exactly... Uncle Joe's Mint Balls?" One other local said: "Set up a GoFundMe, we'll all chuck in for the fine." Another resident said: "Get him some trunks on and leave him there."

The letter issued on December 3 from officials says that the statue currently on display on Grant's property "constitutes to an advertisement under Section 336(1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990".

They describe the act as "Any word, letter, model, sign, placard, notice, awning, blind, device or representation, whether illuminated or not, in the nature of, and employed wholly or partly for the purpose of advertisement, announcement or direction..."

The letter said that 'Golden Balls' breaches the law stating that displaying an advertisement requires 'express consent' from the Local Planning Authority unless it falls within an 'exempt' or 'deemed' consent categories.

Exempt and deemed categories don't require application and approval from the council to be allowed. The council say the statue doesn't fall into these boundaries meaning Grant allegedly needs consent from the council to keep it up.

The letter also said: "It is a criminal offence to display an advertisement without necessary consent. On conviction a the penalty is a fine up to £2,500 and for continuing offence, an additional daily fine of up to £250 until the contravention ceases.

"The council may also remove the advertisement and recover reasonable cost if you fail to comply. Failure to respond positively to the letter or remove the unauthorised advertisement within the required period will leave no alternative but to refer you the matter to the Council's Legal Department which may result in criminal proceedings."

The letter then detailed that grant has 28 days to remove it which lands on New Years Eve. It also said that the council wouldn't accept a retrospective advertisement application in support of keeping the statue up.

A spokesperson for Wigan Council said: “We have contacted the owner to explain the requirements for permission and will reach out again if necessary to better understand his intentions for the statue going forward.

"On a previous occasion, the council advised the owner that the statue was in need of advertising consent. It was subsequently removed by the owner before any action was taken.  The letter is standard procedure explaining the property owner’s options."

Golden Balls was up for about six months before the council told Grant to take it down in 2022 for reasons relating to complaints from residents and permission from the council. Grant agreed to take it down and placed it in storage.

The statue had previously taken pride of place outside Titan Flooring Specialists on the Landgate Industrial Estate in 2017. Though recently the sculpture was spotted at Leisure Lakes campsite in the Mere Brow area of Preston, Lancashire over the summer.