Black Lives Matter protester statue appears on Edward Colston plinth

Image copyright PA Media Image caption A sculpture of protester Jen Reid appeared early on Wednesday where the statue of Edward Colston had been

A figure of a Black Lives Matter protester has appeared on the empty plinth previously occupied by slave trader Edward Colston.

A sculpture of protester Jen Reid appeared at the Bristol city centre site, where the statue was pulled down last month, early on Wednesday.

Ms Reid had been photographed standing on the empty plinth after the Colston statue was toppled during the march.

Artist Marc Quinn, created the sculpture called A Surge of Power.

He said he had no formal consent for the "temporary public installation".

Mr Quinn said he was inspired to create the black resin sculpture after seeing an image of Ms Reid standing on the plinth with her fist raised during Black Lives matter protests.

Image copyright PA Media Image caption Jen Reid had been photographed standing on the empty plinth after the Colston statue was toppled during the Black Lives Matter march last month

He then contacted Ms Reid via social media to work together on the statue, which was erected shortly before 05:00 BST.

On 7 June, protesters used ropes to pull the Colston statue - which had been at the Bristol city centre site since 1895 - from its plinth.

It was dragged to the harbourside, where it was thrown into the water at Pero's Bridge - named in honour of enslaved man Pero Jones who lived and died in the city.

Bristol City Council retrieved the statue, which will be displayed in a museum along with placards from the Black Lives Matter protest, from the water several days later.