Huge Banksy mural removed overnight from side of Lowestoft house by crane
Drone footage from Oliv3r Drone Photography shows the mural being cut out and removed, as Natalie Gray reports
A huge mural painted by the street artist Banksy has been cut out of the wall of a building under cover of darkness.
Builders removed the giant painting of a seagull, cutting it from the end wall of a house in Lowestoft in Suffolk and lifting it away with a crane.
Its removal comes just weeks after another part of the work was removed, and has sparked disappointment at the potential loss of another piece of public art in the seaside town.
The complete piece, left by the elusive artist in the summer of 2021 as part of his Great British Spraycation, originally consisted of a giant painting of a seagull swooping to make a grab for "chips" made of insulation board arranged in a nearby skip.
It is not yet known where the work is being moved to.
People living in the town said they understood why the mural at the corner of Denmark Road and Katwijk Way had been removed, but they were sad to see it go.
"It's about money really at the end of the day isn't it? It's worth a small fortune," said Nick Webb, who lives three doors down from the seagull.
"They're not going to leave it on the end of a house, to get vandalised or damaged when it's worth serious money - a small fortune I'm told.
"I've been given figures from £1m to £3m."
The seagull was one of 10 artworks that appeared overnight in Norfolk and Suffolk as part of Banksy's 2021 Great British Spraycation.
Mickey Gibbons, a local artist, said: "I guess it's a bit of a Catch-22... If that was my building I may have done the same. It's a great shame for the town, really."
Resident Richard Reeves added: "I think from the owner's point of view it's great that he's been able to make some money from the painting.
"However Banksy came to Lowestoft making paintings for the town and I think it's shame that that person has taken that away."
Other works left in the town by Banksy have already been removed - Sandcastle Girl was cut out of the side of a former electrical shop three months after it was painted.
The owners of the building on which the seagull was painted have not responded to ITV News Anglia requests for comment.
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