Ian Watkins Song Lyric Slabs To Be Destroyed

Paving slabs featuring some of paedophile rocker Ian Watkins' lyrics are to be ripped up from a street in his home town.

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council said it planned to remove the granite slabs from Pontypridd, south Wales, "as soon as possible".

It comes less than two weeks after Watkins admitted a string of sexual offences, including the attempted rape of a baby.

The paving slabs, which were laid in Taff Street last year as part of a regeneration project celebrating local culture, are inscribed with the words: "Every time I walk these streets I know they're mine."

The lyrics are taken from the song Streets of Nowhere and appear alongside a line from Green Green Grass of Home, a track written by another of Pontypridd's most famous sons, Sir Tom Jones.

Mick Antoniw, a Welsh assembly member, said the paving was "originally put down in good faith when there was a lot of pride locally surrounding the Lostprophets".

However, he said: "Since then there have been a number of concerns raised and quite a lot of shock in Pontypridd about the detail of what (Watkins) did.

"This was something that was put in place and intended for people to take pride in. The feeling is that it should be ripped up now.

"It's not something that the council should make a song and dance about but I think that these pavings should be discreetly removed."

Watkins pleaded guilty at Cardiff Crown Court last month to 11 sexual offences shortly before his trial was due to begin.

The court heard he plotted the abuse with the mothers of two babies, who pleaded guilty to 13 offences between them, in a series of text and internet messages.

The 36-year-old also confessed to aiding and abetting a woman to sexually abuse her own child, as well as possessing and making indecent photographs of children.

He is due to be sentenced on December 18.

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