Fearing it was in breach of health and safety rules, council workers spent 90 minutes recovering the hulking item from the water before impounding it. Then, under police escort, they drove the model to a unknown compound. Owner Paul Swaffield, who paid £2,000 to have it made, is demanding Weymouth and Portland Borough Council now return the sculpture called Tex.
Mr Swaffield had the model made three years ago as part of a dinosaur theme at a maze attraction he owns. He said he decided to tow it into the sea to give the Unesco World Heritage Site an extra "wow factor". Mr Swaffield said: "I just wanted people who saw it to say whether it is a good idea.
"The model is on wheels and I used a 110hp tractor to tow it down the slipway and into the sea at low tide. I drove it as far as I could - about 150 yards out - and left it there. The tide came in around it and I warned a couple of bathers that it was there. It was an incredible sight and people thought it was the funniest thing that had happened in Weymouth for many a year."
Mr Swaffield said that within minutes officials from the council joined beach lifeguards on the beach to condemn the stunt. He said: "I was called things like irresponsible and a nuisance and they kept going on about health and safety. Members of the public saw the reaction of the officials as the typical state the country is in today, which is lacking in fun."
Mr Swaffield, who runs the Great Dorset Maize Maze, fears the local council will now scrap his sculpture. He added: "I asked them what right they had to tow it away. I'm aware of legislation for impounding cars but I'm not sure about dinosaurs."
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