Margaret Thatcher statue egged just hours after unveiling

A statue of late British prime minister Margaret Thatcher was pelted with eggs just hours after being placed in her hometown Sunday.

The piece was lowered onto a 10-foot granite platform in Grantham, Lincolnshire Sunday morning and immediately met with verbal and physical abuse from some locals, the Irish Examiner reported.

Authorities set up a fence around the statue that failed to fend off the flying eggs that met their target.

The polarizing former conservative leader was born and raised in Lincolnshire and her legacy is the subject of fierce debate both locally and beyond.

Others came to the statue to pay their respects Sunday and took selfies with the full-body sculpture.

The statue was originally slated for placement in central London, but that plan was scrapped due to fears of vandalism.

“We have received reports of criminal damage to the Margaret Thatcher statue shortly after 10am this morning,” local police said. “No arrests have been made.”

Officials set up a surveillance camera near the statue to deter defacement, but the measure didn’t have much of an impact Sunday.

Several vandals casually strolled up to the fenced perimeter and chucked eggs at the statue while yelling insults.

Local officials said they plan to hold a formal unveiling ceremony at a later date.

“We must never hide from our history and this memorial will be a talking point for generations to come,” said Kelham Cooke of the South Kestevan District Council.

Thatcher, the first woman UK prime minister, died in 2013 at 87.