"CRUDE" and "immodest" sculptures of a dragon and leopard belong in a theme park not outside a Monmouthshire hotel, neighbours objecting to the council have said.

The Beaufort Hotel on High Street, Raglan, have placed two 2.3 metres high redwood sculptures of a dragon and leopard taken from the Beaufort coat of arms on either side of the entrance to the patio area of the hotel.

The recommendation from Monmouthshire council's planning officers was to approve the application to retain the sculptures but councillors at the planning committee meeting yesterday decided to defer the application following concerns about the location of the sculptures.

The majority of councillors said they were impressed with the sculptures, but some had concerns that they would be distracting to drivers in particular at night when they are proposed to be illuminated.

The council received four responses from neighbours saying it was a "great piece of art" but six responses in objection.

Comments from neighbours who objected included that the structures are "crude, over-imposing, over-intrusive, immodest, spotty grotesques; total overkill".

They said the dragon statue is "overpowering" when walking past and not in keeping with the village.

One comment from a neighbour read: "To the casual observer they seem to be more representative of the statues one would expect to see at the entry to a theme park and if they are in fact artwork, they should be categorised under the Damien Hirst school of art.

"They do not belong outside the Beaufort Inn."

The application will return to the planning committee for discussion in the near future.