Religious leaders in a Cornish town have called for a statue to be removed or for its name to be changed because of its "spiritual significance".

The ?80,000 ceramic art Earth Goddess was put up in St Austell in June to "celebrate the area's heritage".

A letter was sent by seven religious leaders to the town council, saying the statue was "offensive to God".

Richard Pears, former mayor of the town, said there were no plans to remove it or change its name.

The 36ft (11m) tall statue is part of a project to regenerate St Austell, which used to have a thriving china clay industry.