Residents in a seaside resort reacted with dismay today to discover a £3m Bansky artwork had been removed from the side of a house in the dead of night.<br /><br />The mural by the anonymous street artist featured a spray-painted seagull tucking into a refuse skip full of polystyrene chips on the side of a residential terraced building.<br /><br />However the artwork that residents in Lowestoft, Norfolk had become proud to feature in their town was removed in a huge operation involving a crane this week.<br /><br />Footage from Tuesday evening (Apr 4) shows the wall which had been cut off the side of the house strapped up with chains.<br /><br />It is unknown where the piece is now as the building was under private ownership.<br /><br />Onlookers watched in dismay as the art piece came down, with one shouting it was "being stolen from the town" whilst another admitted they were "sad to see it go".<br /><br />John Brandler, a Lowestoft art dealer, was "dismayed" by the loss to the town. He said: "Banksy gave the town the most amazing gift and basically that has been lost. <br /><br />"It has to be worth seven figures - between £1m to £3m."<br /><br />The art piece had been wrapped in scaffolding weeks before and in January panic brewed as the skip prop was taken away.<br /><br />However town mayor Alan Green had reassured residents in February that the piece was not being removed and that the scaffolding for work to stabilise the wall.<br /><br />But this week drone video shows police presence as the roads on Denmark Road and Katwijk Way were temporarily closed for the removal operation.<br /><br />It was painted by the artist in August 2021 as part of his 'Great British Spraycation'.<br /><br />The project boosted the economies of coastal towns which had suffered during the coronavirus pandemic.<br /><br />Mr Brandler had previously approached East Suffolk Council in an attempt to create an art trail or museum for Banksy's local pieces to preserve the tourist income the art brought in.<br /><br />However the idea had been met with deaf ears, according to him. He said this was "a missed golden opportunity for the town."<br /><br />A spokesman for Lowestoft Town Council said the authority had "discovered that the Banksy Seagull mural has been removed overnight".<br /><br />They added: "The artwork has been a draw to tourists and a talking point for Lowestoft on the national stage.<br /><br />"However, the building is privately owned so Lowestoft Town Council has no jurisdiction on the building or any further information of the intentions of the owner."<br /><br />An East Suffolk Council spokesman said: "While we are naturally disappointed by the reported removal of the Banksy seagull from the side of a building in Lowestoft, it is ultimately the right of the owner to make decisions about their own property.<br /><br />"We acknowledge that Banksy's works, by their nature, may not always be permanent features.<br /><br />"We remain grateful for the attention that Banksy has brought to Lowestoft – a town with a burgeoning arts and cultural scene that will continue to go from strength to strength."
