Easter Island’s indigenous community want the British Museum to return a unique Moai statue that was taken from them 150 years ago and given to Queen Victoria as a gift.

The 2.4-metre tall Hoa Hakananai'a sculpture was allegedly removed by Richard Powell, captain of HMS Topaze, in 1868 and Queen Victoria later gave it to the British Museum.

Now the Rapa Nui authorities have requested the Chilean government help them retrieve the carved statue, which is made from basalt, to the UNESCO World Heritage Site that lies approximately 2,000 miles from the coast of mainland Chile.

However, the British Museum told The Daily Telegraph that they believe there is “a great public benefit” in keeping the statue in the museum.

The dispute comes as the British Museum faces numerous other claims that they should return artefacts to the countries they originate from, including the Elgin Marbles to Greece and the Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, which were taken by British forces in 1897.