‘Ugly’ plastic sheet placed over Banksy mural to protect it from ‘idle vandals’

The landlord of the building which hosts Banksy’s latest tree mural has said he erected a giant plastic sheet over the artwork to deter “idle vandalism”.

Neighbours and tourists in Finsbury Park have complained the plastic sheeting destroys the elusive artist’s vision, and he wouldn’t want his work seen “in a prison”.

Islington Council workers were seen erecting a wooden fence after vandals struck in the night, splashing the Banksy with two huge licks of white paint last week.

There were fears that the crumbly north London estate was chosen by Banksy specifically because the plaster was falling away making the piece ephemeral - perhaps a nod to The Girl With The Balloon, which famously self-destructed after fetching $1.4 million at Sotheby’s.

But Alex Georgiou, of family-run estate agents Alex Marks who own the property, told The Independent: “We’re not so worried about the plaster degrading but more the idle vandals.”

He laughed when he heard a reported £19 million price tag had been slapped on the block since Banksy unveiled his ecological mural.

He added: “Do you think it’s worth £19 million? Listen, if you find someone who is willing to pay that much - we will take it.”

His brother Anthony told The Independent previously: “This is a property we have owned for a long time and there’s no reason we have to do anything with it. Just because Banksy decided to put up some graffiti... we are just working, getting on with it.

“It’s great for Hornsey Road and has really put it on the map.”

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

She told BBC Radio: “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.”

The elusive artist’s mural drew crowds when it was unveiled, with most struck by the ecological message and visual allusion of green leaves returned to a severely cropped cherry tree on Hornsey Road, north London.

But just one night later other graffiti artists silently clambered over the hastily erected fences to write their tag in the same green as Banksy, and throw white paint over the leaves.

The boarding and sheeting follow “temporary measures” put in place by Islington Council, including fencing and regular checks from park patrol officers to manage crowds and help protect the artwork.

An Islington Council spokesperson said: “We want everyone to feel safe at home and we take reports of anti-social behaviour seriously.

“The new security measures at Christie Court have been installed in direct response to concerns raised by tenants over the last week about crowds gathering and the disruption this is causing to their lives.

“We are committed to working with our communities to tackle anti-social behaviour. We encourage residents to report it to us and we welcome conversations to help us solve it.”