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A Paddington Bear statue was decapitated before the model was due to be auctioned for charity.

The statue, in Shoreditch High Street, is thought to have been vandalised on Saturday night.

It is one of 50 bears spread across London, and was due to be auctioned by Christie's with proceeds going to the NSPCC.

The statue, designed by a 13-year-old girl, was expected to raise thousands of pounds for the charity.

Dozens of the statues had been installed around London to raise money for charity in conjunction with the release of the Paddington film.

An NSPCC spokesman told the Independent: “As we are in party season someone might well have thought it was a bit of fun to remove Paddington’s head. However they should be aware that this figure and many others are being auctioned to raise money for our services which help children who have been abused.”

“It was also designed by a young girl who was absolutely delighted when it was chosen to go on display and will undoubtedly be upset about what’s happened.

“We are currently assessing the damage to see if the situation can be retrieved. But in the meantime if there is someone out there with a guilty conscience who wants to make a donation to the NSPCC they can find us at nspcc.org.uk."

Twitter users have launched a '#FindHisHead' campaign to find the head.