Police have appealed for witnesses after a statue of Queen Victoria was doused in red paint over the weekend.

The statue of the 19th-century British monarch, in the Queen Victoria Gardens on St Kilda Rd in Melbourne, was vandalised sometime between Friday and Monday, the same dates as the Coronation celebrations.

The clean-up bill is expected to cost $5000.

“Investigators are keen to speak to any witnesses or anyone that may have been in the Queen Victoria Gardens at the time of the incident,” Victoria Police said in a statement.

The statue, unveiled on Empire Day in 1907, is more than 115 years old.

The desecration of the Queen Victoria statue follows a similar practice to other monuments celebrating the country’s colonial heritage.

On Australia Day last year a statue of James Cook was also covered in paint in St Kilda.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1300 333 000.