Paddy Power Stunt Cracks Stonehenge

The latest publicity stunt by bookmakers Paddy Power has left the Irish company red-faced after it emerged that the 32ft high inflatable horse they placed on top of Stonehenge has cracked one of the world heritage sites 4500 year old plinths.

The inflatable horse was erected late on Saturday night under the cover of darkness and without permission of site owners English Heritage. By early morning it was clear that the weight of the inflatable had cracked one of the priceless stones.

The stunt was conceived to promote bookmakers recent announcement that it would be paying out FIVE places on this years Grand National. From a distance the inflatable horse appears to be jumping over the world famous monument.

This latest controversy compounds the criticism Paddy Power received earlier this year when they ‘defaced’ the Uffington Horse with a promotion for the 2012 Cheltenham Festival.

A spokesman for Paddy Power said “We just did it for the craic like, obviously we didn’t intend to cause a real crack!” site owners English Heritage have refused to comment until their senior archaeologist Dr A. Amadan has assessed the damage.