WHEN the Taliban decided to destroy the Buddha’s of Bamiyan in 2001 there was worldwide shock and condemnation at their acts of barbaric vandalism.

I hope the world will react with similar anger and disgust at Newport City Council’s shameful actions on Thursday when one of Newport’s most beautiful and iconic landmarks was ruthlessly torn down with no public consultation nor warning.

It was a cowardly and spiteful act by the council which has not only upset and angered me but nearly everyone I have spoke to since.

Newport has very little character left as the result of poor planning decisions and cost cutting exercises over the past few decades, in fact it is probably more famous throughout the rest of the country for its shocking crime headlines than any piece of art or architecture that is still standing. How desperate do we need a few extra shops in the city centre?

Was it really worth losing one of the best murals Wales and possibly Britain has ever produced and more importantly the symbolism the mural represented. The Chartist Riot of 1839 put Newport on the map and I’m pretty sure this shopping complex however fancy the plans may look will never ever replace what was so irresponsibly lost last Thursday. Shame on you.

Matthew Pimm Milton Road Newport