Mini Kelpies statue ‘gets cone treatment’

The mini Kelpies statue in Edinburgh, and the Duke of Wellington statue in Glasgow. Pictures: EdinburghCoffee/Wiki Commons

A CHEEKY shopper has given the iconic Kelpies statues the “cone treatment”.

Mini versions of the giant structures were put on view to the public on Princes Street, Edinburgh last week.

It was hoped the 10-ft high models, used in the design process, would be a draw for tourists and promote Edinburgh’s West End as a high-class shopping area.

But it appears one visitor was only interested in paying homage to Glasgow’s Duke of Wellington statue, which is usually topped with a traffic cone.

These pictures show a bright orange cone hanging off one of the horse’s ears.

It is not yet known whether the “cone warrior” was a Glaswegian.

One bystander, who took the photos, said: “It’s Edinburgh’s answer to the Duke of Wellington statue in Glasgow”.

He joked: “From some angles it looks like a really scabby unicorn.”

The placing of the mini Kelpies on the junction of Princes Street, Lothian Road and Shandwick Place is their latest stop in a tour of Scotland.

They were originally used as models for the world-famous Kelpies sculpture at the Helix Parkland, near Falkirk on the M9.