A PICTURE pulled down from the York Science and Innovation Grand Tour has turned up in the River Ouse.

The image of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula from the European Space Agency, which was on display at Kings Staith to represent the work done at the York-based UK Space Education Office ESERO-UK, was found on Sunday morning by YorkBoat, which operates a Sunday morning river boat service.

Kirsty Witham, sales assistant and marketing co-ordinator for YorkBoat, said: “It is in good condition. It has a bit of mud on it, and has been ripped off.”

She said they do occasionally find things in the river, but this was one of the more unusual. “If there’s something there we try and grab it if it looks like it needs rescuing,” she said.

Tony Robards, organiser of the York Science and Innovation Grand Tour, said it was good news the print had been found and that he was grateful to YorkBoat. He said: “It’s just mindless vandalism. What a pity. People go to a lot of trouble to put these things up for people just to deface and destroy the images without thinking about it.”