SECURITY was tight, to say the least.

Guards looked around anxiously as five men struggled to manoeuvre the specially constructed trolley through a small side entrance.

It was a sort of scene you would expect when transporting one of the world's greatest works of art under cover of darkness.

But this was broad daylight - and on board the trolley sat 100 bags of cement.

The bizarre scene took place at Lewes Town Hall in preparation for the arrival of Rodin's The Kiss, perhaps the world's most famous sculpture.

Next week the French artist's masterpiece returns to Lewes Town Hall as the centrepiece of an exhibition which will run until October 30.

Security is paramount, and yesterday's dress rehearsal was organised to ensure there are no problems on the big day.

Paul Myles, manager of exhibition organisers ScupltureCo, is a renowned troubleshooter when it comes to transporting unusual objects.

The first thing Mr Myles did was bring in a soil expert to find out exactly what lay underneath Lewes Town Hall to ensure it was up to the task.

Mr Myles said: "This is a town hall dance floor. It is not designed for an exhibition like this, so we had do a trial run.

"Underneath we found a good six-inch layer of chalk, easily enough to withstand the weight of The Kiss and thousands of visitors for a five-month period."

The concrete bags weighing three-and-a-half tonnes, exactly the same weight as The Kiss, were loaded on board the specially designed trolley and a steel 'railway' laid down to protect the floorboards.

Workmen spent all morning gradually loading the trolley and transporting it back and forth until the maximum weight was loaded.

Throughout the trial, constant weight tests were carried out to ensure the floor could cope.

Mr Myles said: "The most difficult task proved to be getting the structure through the door. It only just fitted."

He added: "The security around this is unprecedented. There will be two security guards on duty 24 hours a day with CCTV cameras on site and of course the police station is just 30 seconds away."

Last week the chief of security at the Musee Rodin in Paris visited Lewes to make additional security suggestions.

The exact date and arrival time of The Kiss is being kept secret, although a special delivery is expected to arrive at the town hall some time in the middle of next week.

The Kiss made its first appearance in Lewes in 1914, but residents mounted a successful campaign to have it removed on the grounds that it was "pornographic".

The new exhibition is the brainchild of SculptureCo.

The project began after local writer John May uncovered the incredible story of the origin of the sculpture.

It was commissioned by Lewes resident Howard Warren, a wealthy art collector, who had seen a similar version of the statue when he visited Paris in 1900.

After it was removed from public display in Lewes, The Kiss was left for several years in the coach house of Warren's home.

It did not leave until 1933 when it was lent to Cheltenham Art Gallery and then the Tate Gallery who bought it on behalf of the nation and are now loaning the famous statue back to its home town.

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