A son has been forced to remove a tribute to his late father after people complained the sculpture looked like Adolf Hitler.

The dispute broke out in Weil im Schönbuch in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, after a new sculpture was put on the grave of Edwald E., who died in 2013.

His son Oliver, 51, had a new wooden figure put on the grave in mid-July, where the figure had a moustache and was wearing a number 88 jersey.

Outraged citizens rang Mayor Wolfgang Lahl, 52, who were concerned about the wooden figure and its alleged resemblance to Hitler, Bild reported.

The number 88 on the jersey caused a stir as it is a synonym for ‘Heil Hitler’ in neo-Nazi circles because H is the eighth letter in the alphabet.

Oliver’s lawyer explained that his father was the cashier of a football club for 30 years, which explains the jersey, and lived at number 88, which is why that number was put on the jersey.

The mayor had the statue, which was created by Kirchentellinsfurst artist Vincent Kröner, removed and Oliver may put the figure in his front garden.

The state security is investigating based on the German Criminal Code which outlaws the ‘use of symbols of unconstitutional organisations’ outside the contexts of ‘art or science, research or teaching’.

The law has been primarily used to outlaw Nazi and Communist symbols, but it does not name the individual symbols to be outlawed.