A dinosaur sculpture that makes up one of the popular Norwich charity trail has been smashed by vandals.

The colourful T.rex located on Tombland has had to be removed after suffering significant damage with organisers saying it appeared to have been either kicked or punched and was then left with a kebab in its mouth.

DinAshore, a pirate-themed T.rex designed by Reilly Creative, was damaged either on Friday night or the early hours of Saturday morning.

It was located outside the offices of its sponsor, Mortgage Advice Bureau, but was removed from the trail for repair on Monday morning.

“It's really awful to see our sculptures getting treated in this way in the first week of the trail,” said GoGoDiscover city trail project manager Peter Marron.

“The artists put so much work into them and they’re meant to be something for everyone to enjoy. Unfortunately it’s not the first incident.

“We’ve also had a graffiti tag appear on one on London Street which we’ve now managed to remove, but this is certainly the most destructive.

“We understand that they will get some very minor wear and tear but what’s happened to DinAshore appears to be deliberate.”

Artists Lynsey and Kieron Reilly from Reilly Creative, who designed the swashbuckling T.rex, said: “We are both so disappointed to see that DinAshore has been taken off the trail.

“So many hours go into creating the design, painting it and varnishing. All the hard work is worth it so it can be enjoyed by everyone, so for it to be treated like this is heart-breaking.'

Oliver Dack, from sponsors Mortgage Advice Bureau, said: “It’s only been a week and the sculpture has felt like a new member of the team, and we’ve seen lots of interaction with the sculpture from all ages groups so to see an empty space now is really heart-breaking for the charity and for trail goers alike.'

The incident has been reported to the police.

It is hoped that DinAshore will be back on the streets in the next few days.

Raising money for East Anglian charity Break, GoGoDiscover runs until September 10 with 55 T.rex sculptures to be found around Norwich city centre, as well as 24 Steppe Mammoths in towns and tourist hotspots across Norfolk.