A landmark elephant statue rescued from a former Wolverhampton pub is still under lock and key instead of going on display in the city due to a family feud.

Steve Swift, boss of Coven Body Repairs, today revealed how he is refusing to let the statue he spent 180 hours restoring to its former glory be sold until he is paid for his time and labour.

He maintained he had originally agreed to do the job for free because the statue’s owner, his cousin Winston Aplin, had said it would be sold in aid of charity.

But in April this year Mr Aplin, aged 41, told the Express & Star he would sell the statue for a profit, prompting Mr Swift to cover the elephant with a tarpaulin until he receives a cut he can give to a worthy cause.

The statue used to grace the entrance of the Elephant and Castle pub on Stafford Street, which was controversially demolished overnight in 2001.

Father-of-two Mr Aplin, of Beechwood Avenue, Wednesfield, found the statue in a heap of fly-tipped rubbish.

He responded to an appeal for information in the Express & Star in September and decided to get it restored so it could be enjoyed by people in Wolverhampton once more, rather than just sit in his garden.

Mr Swift said he would not let the statue leave the garage in Wood Lane until he received £5,000 for his work, a large portion of which would go to the Beacon Centre for the Blind in Sedgley.

He said today: “It is really very upsetting. I understand why people in Wolverhampton are asking questions about this because there was so much publicity. If Winston had stuck to the deal and sold it for charity I would give it up now and ask for nothing. I keep calling and asking for him to come and collect it and pay me but nothing ever happens.

“It is a real shame because it a beautiful statue and it deserves to be seen.”

Mr Aplin was unavailable for comment but in April he told the Express & Star the place the elephant will be displayed was more important than the sum he may receive.

His partner Lisa Manderson, aged 36, today denied Mr Swift’s claims, saying: “We never told Steve it would be for charity. We were always going to give him £5,000 for it and he was going to give some of that to charity.

“We are making a website for the elephant at the moment so that we can sell it and want to find a buyer in Wolverhampton.”