Ed Sheeran pig statue unveiled in hometown

A pig shaped statue of Ed Sheeran has been unveiled in his hometown of Ipswich, England.

The porky monument, which consists of a pig sporting Ed's ginger locks, tattoos and trademark checked shirt, was revealed as part of a charity art project in the town on Thursday (09Jun16).

The statue, dubbed 'Ed Sheer Ham', is one of 40 pig sculptures dotted across the Suffolk town as part of the Pigs Gone Wild arts event.

Ed has given his backing to his piggy likeness, praising its creator Martin J. Wall for his porcine depiction of him.

"I'm really excited to have a pig sculpture made in my honor," the musician tells the BBC. "I hope Ed Sheer-Ham (sic) will be a huge hit on the Pigs Gone Wild trail in Ipswich this summer. The artist, Martin J Wall, has done a great job - I think he looks awesome."

Tourists and locals will be able to follow the art trail and view the pigs from 27 June (16) until 2 September (16), after which the statues will be auctioned to raise money for the town's St Elizabeth Hospice.

Christopher Hudson, a Suffolk county councillor adds, "Ed and his family are 100 percent behind this as he does a lot of fundraising work for local hospices."

The Thinking Out Loud singer, who grew up in Framlingham, a village near Ipswich, and spent his early years as a musician performing in the town, has maintained strong connections with the area.

Last year (15) he was presented with an honorary degree by the town's University Campus Suffolk for his contribution to music.

It's not all been good news for Ed this week (beg06Jun16) however, as he's facing a $20 million lawsuit alleging that his 2014 hit Photograph was plagiarized from a 2009 track by songwriters Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard, Amazing.

The song subsequently became a 2010 hit for Britain's The X Factor winner Matt Cardle.