A controversial witch mural which split a Fife community has finally been removed.
The huge painting on the gable wall of the Larachmhor Tavern in the heart of Pittenweem showed a witch with a hooked nose and warts on her face.
Pub landlord Alan Adey enlisted street artist Rogue One to paint the cartoon-style figure in 2023 without permission.
The East Neuk village is associated with witches, with one woman killed and several others imprisoned after being accused of witchcraft in 1705.
A retrospective planning application was later refused by councillors who branded the mural “hideous” and claimed it made a mockery of village history.
And Mr Adey’s subsequent appeal to the Scottish Government failed.
He was given until December 7 last year to remove it.
And Fife Council was in the process of preparing enforcement action when it disappeared on Monday.
Council planners planning visit to check Pittenweem witch mural removal
East Neuk Liberal Democrat councillor Sean Dillon has welcomed it’s removal.
He said: “I am pleased the mural has gone and that this episode is coming to end.”
However, it is not clear if the full terms of the enforcement notice have been complied with.
The Larachmhor is a listed building within the Pittenweem conservation area.
And Fife Council had ordered the colourful paint be removed before the wall was repainted.
And Mr Dillon added: “Questions still remain as to whether the mural was removed as per the enforcement notice.
“But I have confidence these questions will be answered soon.”
Planning service manager Alastair Hamilton confirmed: “Through the planning enforcement process, we will be carrying out a site visit to ensure all elements of the appeal decision are adhered to.”
Mural was ‘a work of genius’
Officers previously said the witch painting was “gaudy” and based on “historically inaccurate false narratives”.
And fellow-Pittenweem councillor Fiona Corps said: “It’s not a true depiction of those women who were accused of being witches and lost their lives all those years ago.”
However, many people liked the mural and wanted it to remain.
Weem Witch author Leonard Low hailed it as “a work of genius”.
And one Facebook commentator remarked: “Most folks with more than a single brain cell know the difference between characters and the real people accused of being witches.”
The Courier contacted Mr Adey but he declined to comment.
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