A CONSERVATIVE councillor has called slave trader Edward Colston a “hero” amid a row over his statue being pulled down in Bristol.

The statue of the 17th-century slave trader, which had stood in the city since 1895, was dumped into Bristol Harbour during Black Lives Matter protests at the weekend.

The trader, who has many landmarks in Bristol named after him, is believed to have transported tens of thousands of people from Africa to the Americas and at one point was the deputy governor of the Royal African Company – which held a monopoly in slave trading.

READ MORE: Behind Edward Colston and Scotland's slave traders

Prior to protesters pulling the statue down themselves there had been more than 10,000 signatures on a petition asking the council to remove it.

Local councillor Richard Eddy said he was “horrified and appalled” by the weekend’s scenes.

Eddy – who said two years ago that vandalising or stealing a proposed second plaque on the statue explaining Colston’s links to slavery may be “justified” – told Bristol Live that he was “appalled by the rank lawlessness” seen in clips of the statue coming down.

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He went on: “Edward Colston to me and generations of Bristolians stands out as a hero whose wealth has continued to benefit the housing, education and healthcare of the citizens of this city.”

The councillor also said he’d received more mail about the statue being removed than any other issue in such a short space of time in his 28-year political service.

Eddy is a former deputy leader of the Tory group at Bristol City Council. He resigned from the position in 2001 over outrage for using a golliwog doll as his mascot.