‘Clean Rabbie’s napper’: Tele’s call to Dundee City Council to get bird dirt off statue’s head

Scotland’s national bard will be celebrated across the world tomorrow but the Tele has issued one demand to the city council ahead of Burns Night: Clean Rabbie’s napper.

The Robert Burns monument, which can be found outside the McManus galleries, has stood in the city since 1880 and is a symbol of pride for many in both Scotland and Dundee.

It is one of four identical statues commemorating the Scotsman across the world, with the others being found in Dunedin, New York and London.

However, the effigy has fallen victim to attacks from above in recent years, with seagulls and pigeons leaving droppings on the poor bard’s head.

The sorry state of the statue has encouraged the Tele to make a stand and demand Rabbie is shown the respect he deserves.

An offer to send a Tele reporter up to clean it ourselves was rebuffed by council chiefs – so now it’s up to the local authority to have it gleaming again.

Many Dundonians agree with our view and Cullen Armstrong, 68, who works part-time at Thorton’s Law, said: “It just needs people with a scrubbing brush to go up and give it a good clean.

“I don’t know how you’d protect it from the birds, but it definitely needs a good clean.”

Connor Ferguson, a 26-year-old security consultant from the Hilltown, also believes the poet’s likeness could do with a bit of a clean up.

He said: “Well obviously it needs the bird droppings cleaned off it.

“It could do with a bit more care and attention, so it looks good for all the tourists that are coming into the city.”

Hilltown resident Simon Young, a 55-year-old therapist, said: “I was just thinking that it wasn’t looking its best.

“It absolutely could do with a clean. Dundee is a nice city with lots of nice statues.

“It would be good for them all to get a bit of attention and get nice and clean.”

However, some believe that cleaning up the poet’s head might not be worth the hassle.

Lynn Dignan, 67, a retired Asda worker from Craigie, said: “I don’t think he really needs a clean-up.

“We’re pretty used to him looking like that honestly.

“The money and time they would need to clean it could go to a lot of things which are more important.”

Dundee City Council has been contacted for comment.