A town’s dinosaur statue has found itself at the centre of a row over fancy dress.

Locals regularly decorate “Iggy” the iguanodon – who lives on the grass verge in Ashford Road, Maidstone – with themed outfits often appearing for occasions like Christmas and Easter.

But its latest Halloween-inspired design has sparked a controversy which has seen the dinosaur stripped of its outfit twice in two weeks, and a dispute break out among residents.

The council says it had complaints that the outfit was a hazard to wildlife.

Iggy was installed in 2020, a skeletal rendering of a 125-million-year-old iguanodon, whose fossilised remains were discovered in a quarry in the town in 1834.

Since then, it has become a town favourite and even has a Facebook page dedicated to sharing pictures of his various costumes.

Creator of the group, Val Jacobs said: “People decorate him off their own backs and it’s wonderful – we’ve had some really inventive outfits over the years.”

Most recently, the fashionable dinosaur was seen sporting a book bag and school tie for the back-to-school season.

“It’s amazing – people drive past and automatically look to see what he is wearing.

“When there’s a big occasion like Halloween or Christmas coming up they’re waiting to see what he’s going to be,” said Val.

But, Iggy fans were left divided after he was derobed of his latest, spooky outfit, after complaints were lodged about the webbing used to dress him.

A spokesman for Maidstone council said: “Although we normally ‘turn a blind eye’ to non-offensive items on the dinosaur, the council recently received reports of items on Iggy which posed a danger to wildlife, which, once confirmed by council officers, warranted its removal.”

It is understood the fancy dress used fake spider webbing which has been found to pose a risk to birds, bats and other small animals.

One of Iggy’s dressers is Sherry Phillips who decorated the dinosaur in his Halloween costume before it was stripped off.

She said: “We have done this about five times now – my little boy’s favourite time of year is Halloween so we really look forward to dressing Iggy then.”

“We just love putting a smile on everyone's faces. I didn't want anyone to know it was me. We didn't tell anyone, even our friends.”

But, after Sherry discovered the council had discarded her decorations, many of which were handmade personalised items, she revealed she was behind Iggy's spooky look as she expressed her disappointment.

She posted to say: “Soon we won’t be able to put pumpkins out just in case they burn cats’ noses.

“This world is getting a joke. We can’t even enjoy Halloween with a bit of fake cobwebs.”

The situation has split Iggy’s fans, with some saying the council is ruining the fun, while others siding with environmentalists.

It has also led to spats on the Facebook page.

Val said: “I’ve had to completely tie down the group now and moderate almost everything to make sure there is no more conflict.

“I completely understand about the netting, I had no idea it was such a danger.

“But, if the person concerned had simply taken that bit off and then gone on the group and said ‘I’m really sorry this is the reason’, I think everything would have been fine.”

Over the weekend, Iggy was redressed in new Halloween decorations, including a plastic, scythe, a bloodied arm and leg protruding from Iggy’s mouth, and a banner saying ‘Guess who’s back with a brand new snack’, but these were discarded again just hours later.

“It’s their [the council’s] property and they can do what they like with it but the fact that we’ve had this nice little agreement and it’s all kicked off is really quite sad,” said Val.

A few years ago Iggy was at the centre of a controversy when someone placed baubles in a suggestive place after he was dressed up for Christmas.

Since then, residents agreed to limit decorations to up to five items, none of which can be rude, offensive or likely to cause conflict.

Currently, Iggy is sporting an environmentally-friendly outfit with bird feeders hanging off him and a sign saying “I love bats and birds.”

Val said: “It’s a lovely idea but again, is it something they’re going to come and take down in the hopes it will all die down a bit? I don’t know.

“It will be interesting now coming up to Halloween if he gets dressed again, and then also coming up to Christmas to see what his amazing dressers will do for him then.”

A spokesman for Maidstone council added : “While the council has no plans to decorate Iggy ourselves, we are amused by the creative ways that people are doing this and do appreciate how popular he has become.”