THE centrepiece of a £1million art project that helped transform the Gorbals needs major repairs after it was destroyed by vandals.

THE centrepiece of a £1million art project that helped transform the Gorbals needs major repairs after it was destroyed by vandals.

The Gatekeeper, which links new homes at Malta Terrace and Caledonian Road, became an icon for the regeneration of the area on the South Side when it was unveiled in the Evening Times in 2002.

Now the vast glass photograph that formed one half of the £100,000 landmark will have to be replaced.

The specially-toughened glass could withstand the weight of a man bouncing on it but it is believed a small projectile struck a vulnerable point on the glass, causing cracks to spread across the 17ft by 12ft centre panel.

Water and weather then combined to destroy the work which is now held together with glue, perspex and plywood.

The sculpture is among dozens - some life-size human figures, others tiny work that are only spotted by chance - which were funded by developers Redrow under the "Percent for Art" scheme which contributes part of the overall cost of houses to the environment they share.

Artist Matt Baker, who worked with former business partner Dan Dubowitz to create the work, said: "It's a bit of a shame the work has been damaged.

"It seems that nowadays everyone in the Gorbals is an art critic but fortunately most people have really taken the artworks to their hearts."

The former architect was responsible for the large bronze sculpture of a flying woman, dubbed "The Hingin' Witch" by some locals, which formed the other half of the artwork. The whole installation can be seen from half a mile away on the route north into the city centre.

Repairs were delayed as builders consulted Mr Dubowitz, who now works in Italy after the artists' partnership, the Heisenberg group, split.

Mr Baker has continued to work in Glasgow, including more major works in the Gorbals, and he said that the vast majority of locals enjoyed the art in their community, with most pieces still in mint condition despite fears from sceptics in the project's early days.

He said: "People have really taken to the work and they feel that they own it."

Mr Baker added: "I'm glad to see they're repairing the Gatekeeper. The cost will be met by the building's insurance."