Banksy seagull mural covered up on side on building

The mural was originally painted next to a skip containing strips of insulation to represent chips

A mural of a seagull painted by Banksy as part of the artist's Great British Spraycation has been covered up.

The gull mural on the side of a house in Lowestoft, Suffolk appeared in August 2021.

It was painted next to a skip, which originally formed part of the artwork, but that was recently removed to deter fly-tipping.

East Suffolk Council said the building was privately owned, but it was understood renovation works were taking place which was why scaffolding and a screen were covering the mural.

The Banksy mural of a seagull has been covered with sheeting while renovation works take place

The insulation strips in the skip created the impression of a bird stealing chips

The mural, painted on the house on the corner of Denmark Road and Katwijk Way, was one of three painted in Lowestoft as part of the street artist's Great British Spraycation collection across Norfolk and Suffolk.

It was originally painted next to a skip containing strips of insulation to represent chips.

The council said in January the skip was removed after it had been used "as a place to dump rubbish of any kind".

It said the building's owner took the decision to remove the container.

The skip was removed in January over fly-tipping concerns

Martin Halliday from Lowestoft can see the mural from his place of work.

He believed it was being removed.

"Definitely. They've gone to a lot of trouble to shroud the whole building in scaffolding," he said.

"The top of the gable end has been taken away as has the chimney stack.

"We would assume if they were going to remove the Banksy mural in one go, like they did on the other one [on London Road North], they would literally just have to board the wall and make it safe either side and then they could crane it out.

"It does look like it's going to be flying to a new home very soon."

The council previously said the artist's visit in the summer of 2021 had a "hugely positive cultural and economic effect in East Suffolk".

Many of the surviving pieces have been protected by UV-stabilised polycarbonate screens to prevent them fading with exposure.

The mural was painted on the side of the building on the corner of Denmark Road and Katwijk Way in Lowestoft in August 2021

The BBC has tried to contact the building's owner for comment.

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [e-mail]