The controversial statue of disabled artist Alison Lapper has sat proudly in Trafalgar Square for the past month - complete with a spelling mistake.

The word "resilience" was mis-spelt on a plaque for Marc Quinn's 13-tonne, 11ft 6in high, white marble sculpture.

Ms Lapper, from Shoreham, who was born with no arms and shortened legs due to a congenital disorder, posed naked for Quinn when she was eight months pregnant.

A quote on the plaque from Quinn read: "To me, Alison Lapper Pregnant is a monument to the future possibilities of the human race as well as the resiliance of the human spirit."

A spokesman for London Mayor Ken Livingstone, who commissioned the statue, said the error had been resolved.

He said: "The plaque is now down. The spelling mistake has been spotted. The plaque was only ever intended to be temporary."

The sculpture sits on Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth in the north-west corner of the London landmark.

The plinth has stood empty for 150 years.

Mr Quinn's work was chosen from a shortlist of six. It will remain on the square for 18 months. The statue has divided public opinion among visitors to Trafalgar Square.

But Ms Lapper has described the statue as a positive sculpture and an important step forward in encouraging people to confront their prejudice.

Mr Quinn has said the sculpture was a modern tribute to femininity, disability and motherhood.

The artist and his subject, together with her five-year-old son, Parys, attended the unveiling of the sculpture last month.

The Mayor has hailed Ms Lapper as a "modern heroine". He referred to the statue, titled Alison Lapper Pregnant, as a worthy companion to Nelson's Column.

Neither Ms Lapper nor Mr Quinn were available for comment yesterday.