One of Leicester's most iconic landmarks, the Liberty Statue, is set to undergo a £7,500 makeover to restore its original appearance as part of a £70,000 public art funding package from developers Liberty Living.

The funding has already paid for the relocation and installation of the statue on the banks of the River Stoar in December 2008 after being removed from the roof of the 1920s Liberty Shoe Factory, which was demolished in 2003 to make way for a housing development. Work will now be carried out by craftsmen from Leicester City Council (LCC) to correct a number of repairs and alterations made to the statue while it was in storage, using diagrams and photographs of the original statue.

LCC cabinet member for regeneration and transport, Patrick Kitterick, said: "Some repairs have been made to the statue over the years and we are very keen to return it to as near as possible to its original appearance."