Just one day after Banksy confirmed that a series of new seaside artworks were his own work, one of the pieces has been defaced, in what locals have said is a 'disgraceful' act of vandalism.
Banksy shared a new video on Instagram, showing himself in action as he created his latest artworks along the east coast of England - which are all part of his 'Great British Spraycation'.
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One, which appeared at the bottom of Links Hill in North Beach, Lowestoft, depicts a rat reclining in a deckchair with a cocktail in its hand.
However, the artwork has now been defaced by vandals, who have painted over it with a white substance.
Posting footage and photos of the scenes on Facebook, local Richard Girling said: "Really sad that this has happened over night. It looks like a roller has been used, not sure if it is water based paint."
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Other residents were equally upset, with one commenting: "Disgraceful. What is this world coming to?"
Another person wrote: "How very sad WHY???"
A third said: "Crazy, people would travel to see it, now they won't bother. Loss to the local community. I don't understand why somebody would do it."
Speaking to Suffolk Live, Girling explained: "We live about half a mile from the rat artwork and walk the dog in the area daily.
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"We walked by the rat at about 6.30pm yesterday evening and it was fine. A steady stream of people were arriving to take pictures of the artwork.
"We saw on Facebook at around midnight that it had been defaced. Walked down there this morning to see the extremely sad sight."
A woman was seen attempting to clean up the graffiti this morning, with Girling saying he spoke with her and found out she had been to see the artwork at about 6.30am today.
"This was the first Banksy she had seen," he said.
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"She was so distressed she went home and got some cleaning equipment. She was being very careful and it looked like the white paint was very slowly coming off."
Speaking to the BBC, Professor Paul Gough, principal and vice chancellor of Arts University Bournemouth, said rats had been part of Banksy's 'rodent of choice for decades', saying they were 'irreverent, playful characters that have popped up during his Covid-inspired period".
Professor Gough said of the new piece: "Here in Lowestoft a rat enjoys a cocktail on the seawall, a few inches below a drain that drips waste water.
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"Banksy and his team will have scouted these locations very carefully, leaving nothing to chance, and always fastidious when selecting a site. It's what makes him and his work so very powerful."
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Richard Girling