Milton Keynes Council investigates Banksy-inspired graffiti mural

Mr Edwards said he had to speak to street artist Bambi "through a plastic sheet, I couldn't even meet her"

A council is investigating after a graffiti mural appeared on the side of a Grade II listed house in support of Ukrainian refugees.

Derek Edwards, who lives in Willen, Milton Keynes, co-founded Nadiya, a charity that supports refugees.

As part of a campaign for the charity, he had Banksy-inspired art put on an external wall of his 400-year-old home by street artist Bambi.

Milton Keynes Council said it was "looking into the matter".

The mural depicts a child stepping on an unexploded bomb to reach an open window coloured blue and yellow to resemble the Ukraine flag.

A woman is leaning out of the window attempting to lift the girl to safety with the words "spare rooms can spare lives" written nearby.

It appears to resemble a Banksy mural from 2006.

The charity founder said his home, where the mural has been painted, has housed refugees since 2016

Mr Edwards, 65, said he has helped more than 1,000 people from multiple countries including Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan to find accommodation.

The charity founder estimated he and his family have been personal guarantors for more than 150 refugees.

Nadiya has also helped find a home for struggling British families.

Mr Edwards wanted to draw attention to the work of his charity and what he felt was the lack of support for refugees.

He explained: "I've been working on the Ukraine crisis since the star of the war.

"We knew we were coming to the second anniversary of the war, so we knew we had to do something.

"That house has had refugees from different countries since the Calais Jungle crisis in 2016."

The artwork does not have planning permission and the Milton Road resident said he did expect the local authority to take issue with it.

"I do know what I've done is wrong but sometimes you have to do what's wrong, to do what's right."

At the start of the Ukraine war Mr Edwards drove to the country in a minibus to help relocate refugees

To commission the mural, Mr Edwards had to meet Bambi, a street artist who hides her real identity, as first reported by MK Citizen.

"I had to speak to her through a plastic sheet, I couldn't even meet her," he recalled.

Since the artwork appeared he has not heard from the council, but has seen some people complaining on social media.

He said he expected to eventually be ordered to remove the mural.

Mr Edwards has invited Ukrainian families his charity has supported to visit the mural in an act of solidarity on Sunday.

"It will be a celebration of what I've done for them and what they've done for me," he said.

A spokesperson for Milton Keynes City Council said: "We are aware of the mural and are looking into the matter."