Lostprophets street tribute in Wales to be removed

Officials in Pontypridd, Wales are considering the removal of a series of paving stones featuring lyrics from a prominent Lostprophets song following frontman Ian Watkins’ child sex abuse scandal. The shamed singer pleaded guilty to a string of charges, including attempting to rape a baby, during a trial at Cardiff Crown Court last month (Nov13), and now disgusted local council members in his hometown of Pontypridd are discussing plans to destroy the street tribute, which was laid down last year (12).
Welsh assembly member Mick Antoniw tells TheGuardian.com, “The paving was originally put down in good faith when there was a lot of pride locally surrounding the Lostprophets. Since then there have been a number of concerns raised and quite a lot of shock in Pontypridd about the detail of what he (Watkins) did…
“This was something that was put in place and intended for people to take pride in. The feeling is that it should be ripped up now. It’s not something that the council should make a song and dance about, but I think that these pavings should be discreetly removed.”
The 10 slabs in question bear the words, “every time I walk these streets I know they’re mine”, from the band’s hit track Streets Of Nowhere.
Watkins is due to be sentenced on 18 December (13), alongside two female co-defendants, aged 20 and 24, who cannot be named for legal reasons.