Becks nativity smashed to pieces

The controversial waxwork Nativity scene depicting David and Victoria Beckham as Joseph and Mary has been wrecked in an attack.

Wax models of the stars, worth £50,000 each, suffered "extensive damage" when a young man attacked the display at Madame Tussauds.

The exhibit, which caused uproar after church leaders called it blasphemous, has now been removed only days after it was unveiled.

The attacker waited until other visitors had left the area and charged at the figures, kicking and punching them in a frenzied attack. The face on the Victoria model was damaged most but her husband's was also severely crushed before the man fled into the street.

The other seven waxworks in the display, which include Hugh Grant, Samuel L Jackson and Graham Norton as shepherds and Kylie Minogue as an angel on all fours, were not damaged.

The scene, which also featured Tony Blair, the Duke of Edinburgh and President George Bush as the three wise men, was condemned by church leaders when unveiled last Thursday.

The Beckhams were also said to be furious and said they had not given permission for their waxworks to be used in such a way.

It is now thought the Nativity scene will be replaced by another display featuring the England football captain and his wife.

The attack has some similarities to the decapitation of a statue of Baroness Thatcher in 2002.