A rainbow zebra crossing, which was unveiled in Blackpool to recognise LGBTQ+ communities, has been vandalised after just one day.
Jane Hugo, a member of Blackpool Council, reflected on the incident, highlighting the sad reality of such negative sentiments but remained optimistic about the overall positive reception.
“I just can’t get my head around it,” said Jane Hugo.
“It’s really sad that in this day and age people are having such negative feelings about it and then to physically go out and spray over the zebra crossing,” she said.
“This is something that we sought funding for to create a really safe, accepting area, so that when people come to Blackpool they know they can be safe.”
Following the incident, Blackpool Council has engaged Lancashire Police, and a CCTV review is in progress.
Blackpool Council had previously championed the idea on their website: “Dickson Road has seen a colourful transformation overnight, with two zebra crossings upgraded to include a multi-coloured rainbow design graphic underneath the traditional white stripes.”