A sword stolen from a statue on the Clock Tower is to be replaced within the next few weeks.

In September, thieves clambered up the city centre monument and snatched the weapon from the stone hand of Simon de Montfort.

The weapon was not recovered and the criminals have not been identified.

Now, Leicester City Council has ordered a 4ft metal sword to restore the statue to it former glory, at a cost of £1,100.

John Burrows, a former chairman of Leicester Civic Society, reported the sword missing last year.

He said: "When Simon's sword got pinched I thought that it was time to do something."

"The statues and tower do look a little tatty and could do with some attention.

"I think it's something which should be top of the council's care and repair list."

The replacement sword is being made from wrought iron by Anwick Forge, in Sleaford, Lincolnshire.

The weapon should be delivered to the council in about six weeks.

The damaged stone hand was taken away to be repaired.

The council is also thinking about erecting plaques to identify the four figures which adorn the Clock Tower and to clean the tower.

The grade II-listed Clock Tower was built in 1868, at a cost of £1,200.

It stands on a base of Mountsorrel granite.

Simon de Montfort is one of four of Leicester's benefactors who stand on the corners of the monument.

The others are William Wyggeston – spelled "Wigston" on the tower – Thomas White and former mayor Alderman Gabriel Newton.

Mr Burrows said: "People pass by in their thousands every day and less than one in 20 of them will know who the four gentlemen are. The Clock Tower has been there for an incredibly long time and is Leicester's mascot."

A spokesman for the council said: "The Clock Tower was last cleaned in 1991, which is a relatively short space of time for such monuments.

"In addition, over-cleaning of such structures can do more harm than good.

"We've also had some interest in erecting plaques, which we are also looking into."

Leicester's mayor Peter Soulsby, said: "I am delighted the sword will be reinstated in its rightful place in just a matter of weeks.

"The Clock Tower is one of the city's best-known landmarks and as such, we are sometimes asked by members of the public to carry out certain works to it.

"We have to decide whether these are necessary, prioritise them alongside other maintenance projects and take account of increasingly difficult budget constraints."