In the early hours of this morning the last statue of Franco which had stood in the Plaza San Juan in the administrative center of Madrid was quietly removed and transported to an unknown location for storage.

Spain’s Employment Minister confirmed that his Ministry had given the order for the statue to be removed, reflecting what he called «a reasonable decision in a democratic state».

The statue was of Franco sitting on a horse had stood outside the incredibly ugly new ministries buildings since 1959. It was seven and a half metres high and workmen took two hours to dislodge it during the night.

Spanish national police were on hand to avoid any violent incidents, but in the end very few people turned up to witness the last statue of the Spanish dictator disapper into a lorry and be driven away.