A SHEPHERD and his sheep statue will be returned to Bicester after being removed for roadworks.

The recognisable statue used to sit on the roundabout close to Pingle Drive in Bicester.

But due to roadworks surrounding Bicester Village and a complete overhaul of the road layout it was put into storage early last year.

Cherwell District Council spokesman Thomas Slingsby said: "The sheep, shepherd and sheepdog sculptures were commissioned by Cherwell District Council from artist David Gosling.

"They were removed for safekeeping while the roadworks were ongoing.

"At the moment the pieces are in storage while the new landscaping scheme for the altered road layout is being finalised.

"Cherwell is committed to putting the sculptures back on display in a public place; if we are not able to return them to their original location, they will return at another prominent Bicester location for people to enjoy in the near future."