Fan uses spoon to restore defaced Banksy in Gorleston

A Banksy fan who removed a rude message defacing one of the artist's seaside works said it felt a "privilege" to clean something "so important".

Wednesday's daubing appeared on protective plastic that covers Banksy's depiction of an arcade-style toy grabber in Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk.

Aghast passer-by Steven Osborne said he spent 90 minutes scratching away at the slogan by using a plastic spoon.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council said it was reviewing CCTV footage.

The grabber was one of several Banksy works that appeared on the coast in Norfolk and Suffolk during the artist's "Great British Spraycation" in August.

It was defaced soon after, so the council installed covering and CCTV, and hired security guards.

Mr Osborne, who lives nearby, said he spotted the latest daubing while walking a dog and immediately went home to fetch a bucket of soapy water.

He said: "It wasn't working, the paint wasn't coming off, but on the ground I saw a plastic spoon from an ice-cream tub, so I chipped away at it with that for one-and-a-half hours."

Mr Osborne said he got very cold during his publicly-spirited spoon cleanse, and attracted some strange looks, but had not wanted to "bother" the council.

"I felt it was a privilege to be able to clean up something so important," he said.

"Someone as great as Banksy chose, of all places, Gorleston, to help put it in the limelight, and then [people] just have to go and ruin it.

"I couldn't believe someone had gone out of their way to do that to such a famous artwork."

He added: "I admire Banksy's work, and he's done multiple works around the area, which I've enjoyed looking for with my son - it's like an Easter egg hunt."

Great Yarmouth Borough Council has spent £8,385 protecting Banksy's artworks, including an image of a couple dancing on top of a bus stop and a tiny model stable, which has since been removed.

A spokesperson said: "It is disappointing to see this attempted damage to the artwork, which so many people have enjoyed.

"We thank Mr Osborne for his community spirit in removing the graffiti but we would generally recommend that people report any damage to the council so that we can avoid any unintentional damage to the artworks.

"The council has put in place coverings and CCTV to protect the Banksy works, and we will be checking the footage for any evidence that may identify the culprit."

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