Basildon Council has confirmed the much-loved Mother and Child sculpture fountain will be repaired - but no date has yet been set for it to be fully functional again.

The statue, located outside of Primark in Basildon town centre, was vandalised, which caused the pump mechanism to malfunction. The council switched off the fountain on August 1 for repairs.

Councillor Alan Ball, Basildon Council’s chairman of the environment and regeneration committee, said: “Basildon Council turned off the fountain on the Mother and Child Sculpture in Basildon town centre after it was vandalised by persons unknown.

“The vandalism caused damage to the pump mechanism. We have flushed the fountain, but the damage caused has resulted in leaks occurring.

“We are currently unable to turn the fountain back on as it will cause further damage to the statue.

“We are working with our contractors to ensure a permanent repair. We want to ensure the fountain is fully operational before it is switched back on again.”

Basildon councillors were outraged at the “mindless” attack on the symbolic statue.

David Burton-Sampson, a Labour councillor from St Martin’s ward, commented: “It’s such a shame. It’s a feature of Basildon town centre. Hopefully those who did this will be caught and dealt with. The fountain has been with us for many years and it’s the symbol of our town. The council is going a great job in maintaining our displays as part of our regeneration project.”

Andrew Buxton, also Labour, said: “The mother and child statue hasn’t been working for quite a while. Once somebody put bubble bath detergent in there.

“I don’t know why people do these things because they just spoil it for everyone. It’s a shame because it’s like taking a part of Basildon’s history. It’s been with us for a long time.”

Mr Buxton added the statue, along with the landmark town clock located in St Martin’s Square, are the focal points of the town centre.

The statue was created by Maurice Lambert and it was unveiled in 1962.

As maintenance work is ongoing, Basildon Council is unable to confirm an exact date of when the fountain will be operational again.