Council bosses have unanimously backed plans to install a Keith Flint memorial in Braintree.

A petition to create a statue for the Prodigy frontman was put before councillors during a meeting last night after it had gathered more than 10,000 signatures.

A short speech read out by member of the public David Parris during the meeting described Keith as iconic and insisted he had always stayed true to his roots in Braintree.

All councillors present at the meeting voted in favour of backing the petition and discussions will now take place on how the scheme can be moved forward.

Council leader Graham Butland said the concept would be put before members of cabinet at a later date following further consultation with The Prodigy and Keith's family.

He added: "Just this afternoon we had a phoncecall from John Fairs the co-manager of prodigy to say he had spoken with Keith's family and they would not oppose the idea of a statue if done, in their words, tastefully and not a literal image of Keith.

"Mr Fairs says the rest of the band, myself and fans would agree to this also 100 per cent."

Green councillor and opposition leader James Abbott also gave his backing to the concept. 

The memorial is likely to be installed in Braintree Town Centre or "another prominent" location.

More to follow