STREET art doesn't agree with everyone's taste but some items like the grandmother and child sculpture on Blackburn's Boulevard draw general acclaim.

In just a few years it has become an accepted part of the townscape and been kept in good repair despite a few attempts by vandals to cause wanton damage.

Sadly, the same cannot be said of a piece of sculpture that was the pride and joy of the town when it was unveiled a century ago.

But the statue of Queen Victoria only a short distance away hasn't suffered because of yobs. The culprit this time is official neglect.

The lady has been allowed to turn green, even though countless council staff, including workers on street cleaning machines, must go past her almost every day.

There's no excuse for allowing such deterioration to take place, especially when so much time and money has recently been spent on all kinds of off-beat abstract street art in nearby Church Street and elsewhere in the town.

If local authorities in London can manage to keep the 165ft Nelson's Column clean, there's no earthly reason why Blackburn with Darwen Council can't keep a closer eye on this street-level statue.