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Traffic cones have been appearing on historic statues in Edinburgh’s Old Town, much like a trend started in Glasgow. At least five cones were seen on the Duke of Buccleuch monument in Parliament Square recently. Residents are calling for these "eye-sores" to be removed from monuments within the city's World Heritage Site area. Daniel Todd, chairman of the Old Town Community Council, says they’re not even Edinburgh’s joke and have become a blight on historic sites. Concerns about safety and respect for heritage led local conservation groups and council officials to advocate for stricter measures against placing cones on statues.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-12,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In Edinburgh, residents are demanding that traffic cones, which have appeared on historic statues in the city’s Old Town, be removed. This trend, initially seen as a joke in Glasgow when a cone was placed atop the Duke of Wellington statue, gained popularity after similar images from Boston during Scotland's World Cup campaign went viral. At least five cones were spotted this week on the Duke of Buccleuch monument in Parliament Square and other statues across the city center. Daniel Todd, chairman of the Old Town Community Council, called them an "eye-sore" and said they were not even Edinburgh’s own joke, adding that they have become a blight on historic sites within the World Heritage Site. The Edinburgh City Council's Transport and Environment Convener, Stephen Jenkinson, acknowledged the trend but emphasized the need for public safety first.
Written for “Traffic Cones On Statues Controversy …” on 2026-10-12,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 74779 · logged 2026-10-12
It started as a one-off example of Glasgow’s irreverent sense of humour as a traffic cone was placed unceremoniously atop the city’s Duke of Wellington statue.
asserted
cone → start → statue
But it seems to have spawned a far wider tradition that has spread to other parts of the country.
asserted
that → seem → country
But now, residents in Edinburgh’s Old Town have called for the ‘eye-sores’ to be removed from monuments in the city centre.
asserted
sores → call → centre
Cones have been appearing across the capital, with images of at least five adorning the Duke of Buccleuch monument in Parliament Square posted on social media this week.
asserted
Cones → appear → media
Accompanied with the Benny Hill Show theme tune, the short clip shows a man reaching with a high pole to try and remove the cones from the 138-year-old statue, with a caption that reads: ‘Every morning’.
asserted
that → accompany → caption
Daniel Todd, chairman of the Old Town Community Council, hit out saying they were ‘not even Edinburgh’s joke’ but claimed they had become a blight on the Royal Mile and other historic sites within the World Heritage Site.
asserted
they → hit → Site
Traffic cones have started to appear atop statues in Edinburgh's Old Town
Videos of the statues have been appearing on social media
The practice was given a new lease of life after images of them being placed on top of statues in Boston during Scotland’s brief World Cup campaign were beamed across the globe.
Shetland, Dundee and the North East have all had the odd cone appear on monuments since fans returned home.
asserted
fans → start → monuments
But some residents in the Capital feel they have turned Scotland’s busiest tourist district into an ‘embarrassment’.
asserted
they → feel → embarrassment
Mr Todd said: ‘This is Scotland’s capital, and the Old Town is its shop window.
asserted
Town → say → ?
Residents want to take pride in the place they live, and the whole country should be able to take pride in its capital.’
asserted
country → want → capital
Other statues in the city, including those of Adam Smith and Sherlock Holmes, have also been ‘coned’ in recent months.
asserted
statues → include → months
Residents have now called on the council to remove ‘stray’ cones from the city centre and make it easier to report them.
asserted
it → call → them
James Garry, assistant director of the Edinburgh conservation charity Cockburn Association, said it was particularly noticeable in the Old Town because of the ‘prominence and sensitivity’ of the historic area.
asserted
it → say → area
He said: ‘We have raised concerns before about traffic cones being placed on statues and monuments.
asserted
cones → say → statues
‘There are obvious issues of respect, but also more practical concerns about personal safety and the risk of damage when people climb on structures that were never designed for that purpose.’
asserted
that → be → purpose
A spokesman for Edinburgh World Heritage added that ‘how we present our streets and civic spaces is how we present ourselves to the world’ and believed that cones should be ‘positioned with the character of the World Heritage Site in mind’.
asserted
cones → add → mind
Edinburgh City Council’s Transport and Environment Convener, Stephen Jenkinson, said: ‘Whilst I appreciate that these cones may be placed in good humour and with the best of intentions, the safety of the public must always come first.
uncertain
safety → say → public
‘Unsecured traffic cones can pose a risk to pedestrians and road users, potentially causing injury or creating a safety hazard.
asserted
cones → pose → hazard
For this reason, we make sure to remove them as soon as possible.
asserted
we → make → them
‘I’d encourage people to refrain from placing cones on statues and monuments, helping us to protect them from potential damage - and which ultimately is a cost to Edinburgh council taxpayers - and ensure that everyone can enjoy the World Heritage Site safely.’
asserted
everyone → encourage → Site
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