Banksy: London tree mural covered in plastic and boards

A Banksy mural in north London has been covered with plastic and surrounded by wooden boards.

The artwork in Finsbury Park features swathes of green paint on a residential building behind a nearby tree to give the appearance of leaves.

The mural was claimed by the street artist on his social media but just days later was strewn with white paint.

Islington council said the plastic and boards had been put up by the building's owner, not the council.

However a spokesperson added it was installing a hoarding around the site on Hornsey Road which would have plastic panels to "allow clear views".

They added: "We've had a lot of concerns from our residents about disruption from the numbers of visitors to the artwork, which is right outside their homes.

"We will monitor and review arrangements at the site, and will continue to explore future solutions with the building owner so people can enjoy the artwork."

Mary Dickenson, who lives locally, told BBC London: "When it first went up it was nice. Someone did try to destroy it, and they've blocked everything off now, so you can't really see anything."

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Güley Polat, who travelled to see the mural from Germany, arrived to see the plastic covering and boards.

She said: "It's very sad. What I see is a disaster. I don't like it.

"It seems like we are in prison. I think Banksy doesn't want to have his street art in a prison."

Previously, the authority said it was installing CCTV cameras and had been looking at other ways to protect the work, adding it wanted the artwork "to stay".

The mural also features a stencil of a person holding a pressure hose.

The vivid paint colour matched that used by Islington Council for street signs in the area.

Those responsible for the white paint have not been identified.

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