After a person wearing a Spider-man mask damaged a contentious statue at the BBC’s offices with a hammer, a man has been detained.

After a Grade II-listed monument at Broadcasting House was damaged on Saturday afternoon, police spent a significant amount of time trying to safely arrest the person who had climbed the scaffolding atop the structure.

On suspicion of causing criminal damage and going armed, he was taken into custody just after 6 o’clock.

Prospero and Ariel from Shakespeare’s The Tempest are shown in the famed sculpture, but it is believed that the long-deceased artist, Eric Gill, also sexually molested his two children and the family dog, according to passages in his postmortem diaries.

It was previously targeted with a hammer last year, and had only recently been repaired.

On Tuesday, the BBC said after “careful consideration” taking into account the historical and cultural significance of the building, the previous restoration had been agreed with all costs covered through the corporation’s insurance and not the licence fee.

A statement from the Metropolitan Police said: “Police were called at around 04:15hrs on Saturday, 20 May, to a man climbing scaffolding at premises in Portland Place. The man was reportedly damaging a sculpture.”

“Officers attended the location. Due to the circumstances of the incident, including the height, specialist officers were called to the scene.

“Shortly after 18:00hrs the man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and going equipped. He will be taken into police custody.”

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