Red faces after Banksy mural destroyed over 'racist' claim

Authorities in southern England were embarrassed but defensive yesterday after telling workers to destroy a mural they later realised was created by the internationally famous graffiti artist Banksy.

Banksy's often satirical works have fetched up to US$1.8 million at auction and his images have been controversially stripped from walls and sold for high prices.

The latest mural, which featured pigeons carrying anti- immigration banners, appeared at Clacton-on-Sea, the site of a special election next week featuring the anti-immigration UK Independence Party.

Tendring Council spokesman Nigel Brown said yesterday that the mural was chemically removed from the wall after complaints that it was racist.

"There was a sharp intake of breath when we realised it was a Banksy," Brown said.

The mural, featured on Banksy's website, showed pigeons holding up signs directed at one exotic-looking bird. One banner reads "Go Back to Africa" while another says "Migrants not welcome".

The elusive graffiti artist, who emerged in Bristol, England, in the early 1990s, has a knack for courting attention with an ingenious mix of timing and clever placement.