A large statue of a polar beer which urinates into a canal in Amersfoort every couple of minutes has been turned off at night because the noise woke up nearby locals.

The artwork, which was installed in the centere of Amersfoort last month, is part of the “Art and Zoo” exhibition at the Flehite Museum.

The polar beer pees into the canal every three minutes day and night and the neigbours were complaining, museum director Paul Baltus told broadcaster RTV Utrecht.

“The idea was to have the polar bear pee, uncontrolled by us. But then people said it stopped them from sleeping so we thought we better turn him off at night.”

The bear, made by Florentijn Hofman, known for his giant rubber bath ducks and wood hippo, “symbolises the current state of nature,” the artist said.

“It’s about the melting ice caps, the shrinking habitat of polar bears. This polar bear has chosen to show he is pissed off by peeing loudly into a canal. He is being a bastard, just like us in the way we treat nature.”

The statue will remain at the canal until November and will start peeing again at 7 am.