THE debate about the sculptures destined for Saltburn has filled the columns of this page over the past few weeks and today Spectator is pleased to bring you pictures of the controversial works.

The argument appears to be split between locals fiercely opposed or fiercely apathetic and an arts lobby based outside the town which seems to suggest that a bit of public art would be good for the place, rather in the way a dose of liver salts would be.

Based on the pictures we have obtained, Spectator can see why the locals are not impressed. The amamalgamation of assorted railway bits and bobs to form the statue/sculpture of Henry Pease is a clever idea but the overall effect is disjointed and, ultimately, a mess.

Henry Pease, as the town's founding father, needs a memorial erecting in the town he helped to create in its modern form. But this piece of work is certainly not that.

Public art in Britain has made a welcome return in recent years. The Angel of the North and Brick Train are triumphs because they work as sculpture. The Saltburn sculpture/statues don't work, perhaps because they neither one thing or the other.

The idea of Saltburn becoming the St Ives of the North, as one of our correpondents suggests in a rather disparaging fashion today is an appealing one, and certainly worth pursuing.

But the arts establishment should accept that art designed for public open spaces needs to be of a standard and style acceptable to a wide range of people.

The Saltburn statues are not necessarily bad works of art but they are not good enough for display in the fashion the promoters of the scheme, the Saltburn Improvement Company, has in mind. A gallery, where visitors can choose to view them or not, would be more appropriate.