A second effigy of Alex Salmond was destroyed at Bonfire Night celebrations in Lewes on Wednesday night despite claims the First Minister had been spared such an indignity.
A social media outcry prevented the first of two effigies of the SNP leader being burnt but The Courier has today spoken to a man who witnessed a second being detonated during the celebrations.
Michael Story uploaded several photographs of the half-naked effigy exploding to Twitter last night.
Here's the Alex Salmond effigy ready to be brought to the fire @roreiy #indyref pic.twitter.com/1OesfyZezF
— Michael Story ? (@MWStory) November 5, 2014
He said the giant figure caught fire before being blown up.
“It caught fire a bit from the fireworks being set off from it, but then they blew it up, the head then the body,” he said.
@MWStory @Mattycoyle @STVNews Here is a close up photo which will help validate Michaels story. pic.twitter.com/czUzvMZCEb
— Stewart brown (@StewartbBrown) November 6, 2014
He added: “To be absolutely clear: tonight I saw an effigy of Alex Salmond lit by fireworks then blown up at Lewes.”
Salmonds effigy has been detonated! Nothing left but smouldering embers #indyref #LewesBonfire pic.twitter.com/vTK3zIxngZ
— Michael Story ? (@MWStory) November 5, 2014
The second effigy was used at Commercial Square Bonfire Society’s display.
Last tweet was mid burst, here's before and after. Pics taken by me pic.twitter.com/IUg9GkPe9P
— Michael Story ? (@MWStory) November 6, 2014
Earlier The Waterloo Bonfire Society had abandoned plans to burn its effigy of Mr Salmond, who was accompanied by an effigy of the Loch Ness Monster, following an outcry on social media.
Mr Salmond said he was “used to insults from Tories in East Sussex” but questioned the judgement of those behind the effigy.
However, Michael told The Courier he was unaware of the controversy when the effigy was wheeled out.
“It was just coincidence that I was there,” he said.
“They don’t say what the effigies are going to be until the day so when I saw Salmond I thought ‘that’s topical.’
“But because we were in the town we weren’t aware of any controversy so it was only in the car to go home I started seeing all these stories saying it hadn’t been blown up.”
His Tweets have now sparked even more controversy.
“I haven’t had so many Scottish people phoning me in ages,” added Michael.