Banksy’s new cat artwork is ‘taken down and could be thrown in a rubbish skip’ just hours after it was first spotted – as meaning behind elusive artist’s graffiti is revealed

A new Banksy artwork is being removed by contractors just hours after it appeared on a billboard in London. The artwork could end up in the dumpster if it isn’t donated to an art gallery.

The black silhouette of a large cat stretching out on an abandoned sign appeared in Cricklewood, North London, last night, with the artist confirming in an Instagram post that he was behind it, as he normally does.

But hours later, men turned up at Cricklewood saying they had been ‘hired’ by a ‘contracting company’ to remove the billboards for safety reasons.

A contractor, who would only be identified as Marc, said they would remove and replace the boards on Monday, but that the removal had been postponed until Saturday in case someone “tears it down and leaves it unsafe.”

He told the PA news agency: ‘We’re storing that piece (the artwork) in our garden to see if anyone comes to collect it, but if not it goes in a skip. I’ve been told to keep it safe in case he wants it.’

They arrived hours after a man was seen trying to rip the artwork off the advertising column. An earlier artwork from the animal-themed series had also been stolen by joyless criminals.

Do you know the man in the video? Get in touch at jon.brady@mailonline.co.uk

The artwork was removed, contractors say, to prevent it from being stolen – after a man was filmed apparently trying to pry it off the wall

A man has already been spotted trying to get his hands on Banksy’s latest artwork less than an hour after it was unveiled

A passerby managed to capture the moment on camera, as the man appeared to use a hammer to get under the sheet of wood and make off with the undoubtedly valuable artwork

Banksy unveiled his sixth artwork in as many days on his Instagram page at 1pm today, but within an hour an opportunist was caught red-handed trying to pry it off the wall

Fresh paint stains on some nearby branches – perhaps indicating the pace at which the elusive artist worked

A passerby captured the moment when the fan appeared to be hacking away at some rotting wood with a hammer, before looking at the onlooker, laughing and walking away when he realized he was being filmed.

Police had blocked off the path in front of the billboard as about 50 people gathered to take pictures.

Some Cricklewood residents regretted the decision to remove the artwork to keep it safe.

Lia Colacicco, 67, told the PA news agency she had offered to look after the Banksy artwork for the billboard’s owners after it was removed.

Mrs Colacicco and two other members of the North West Two Residents Association watched as contractors began to remove the rubbish.

Ben Tansley, 71, said: “If it wasn’t guarded at night someone would take it. It’s such a shame. There were people here this morning before it was on Instagram.”

Carol Reeman, 64, said: ‘This is Cricklewood, this is our Banksy. You can’t even enjoy it all day before someone wants to take it down.

‘You’d wait a lifetime for a Banksy to come to our neighbourhood. Cricklewood is on the map.’

But the owner of a billboard currently displaying a Banksy artwork has told police he will donate it to an art gallery, an officer at the scene told the PA news agency.

A black board was used to cover most of the cat on the billboard at the request of police, who wanted to stop people from walking in front of traffic. Bystanders booed the contractors as they removed the work on Saturday.

This follows earlier murals unveiled this week which featured a goat, two elephants, three monkeys, a lone wolf on a satellite dish and two pelicans.

Now the anonymous tagger has revealed he’s been leaving the animal paintings across London to spread a bit of cheer as the UK experiences gloomy weather.

This follows previous murals unveiled this week which featured a goat, two elephants, three monkeys and a lone wolf on a satellite dish and two pelicans

Police had to ask people to stay off the road when they tried to take photos of the artwork

According to The Guardian, Banksy sought to “create moments of unexpected amusement while gently emphasising the human capacity for creative play, rather than destruction and negativity.”

It’s also been rumored that a seventh mural will appear soon in another surprise location, so keen fans should keep their eyes peeled.

The first piece of graffiti in the series, which he shared to his Instagram account on Monday, showed a goat teetering on a ledge with rocks falling below — right above where a security camera was pointed.

The same aerial platform was spotted in the early hours of Monday painting the goat mural. It is located near Kew Bridge, south-west London, on the wall of engineering firm Boss & Co, which builds high-end weapons.

Banksy on Monday placed an artwork of a goat sitting on top of a wall at Kew Bridge in Richmond

This week a new artwork was unveiled on the wall of a house in Chelsea, London, which was confirmed to be by Banksy.

The mural is located above Bonners Fish Bar, on Northcote Road. It is based on a quiet residential street in East London

The next day, the artist added another design to the collection: silhouettes of two elephants with their trunks pointing toward each other on the side of a building near Chelsea.

Next came a trio of monkeys that appeared to be swinging under a bridge over Brick Lane, near a vintage clothing store and coffee shop on the popular market street in east London, not far from Shoreditch High Street.

The primates are associated with the Japanese proverb ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’. But in Banksy’s work, the monkeys do not cover their eyes, ears or mouths.

His fourth artwork to appear in south-east London yesterday – a lone wolf howling on a satellite dish – appeared to have been stolen within minutes.

The striking painting of the howling dog in the night sky appeared overnight on the roof of a former Betfred store on Rye Lane, Peckham.

Footage has emerged showing the shocking moment the artwork is dismantled and then taken away.

The group of men wearing hoods, face masks and gloves were spotted climbing the building, removing the satellite dish and running away.

The artwork, which features a silhouette of a howling wolf, appeared on a rooftop in Peckham. It is the latest piece in a series of murals unveiled this week

A man wearing a hood and a mask holding the satellite dish while standing on the roof of the building

The alleged theft echoes a similar incident last year, in which another Banksy work – a road sign featuring three military drones – was also stolen.

So far, Banksy has confirmed his pieces via posts on his Instagram page at 1pm.

The most recent Google Street View – from June 2022 – shows the billboard being used for an advertisement for a tool company.

Banksy’s team has been asked for comment.

The artist is one of the world’s most elusive creatives and has managed not to completely reveal his identity.

In 2008, The Mail on Sunday reported that it could be Robin Gunningham, born in Yate, near Bristol – the city where the artist first made his name.