Seaside exhibition 'bears Banksy hallmarks' says author

The tanker sculpture and castle at the former Tropicana site

Huge structures set up on a derelict site in North Somerset have "all the hallmarks" of Banksy, said the man who edited a book on the street artist.

Richard Jones said it had been rumoured a Banksy show would take place in the area in August.

Unconfirmed reports suggest Banksy has been creating a new "pop-up" exhibition on the former Tropicana lido site in the seaside resort, Weston-super-Mare.

A castle and sculpture made from tanker trucks can be seen above the walls.

Locals had been told that a Hollywood company was filming there.

This colourful windmill can be seen on the site

The Daily Mail reported that Holly Cushing - one of the executive producers of Banksy film Exit Through the Gift Shop - had been spotted at the Tropicana site.

In May, along with Simon Durban, a fellow director at Pest Control Ltd, which authenticates Banksy's works, she set up another company called "Dismaland Ltd".

Mr Jones, the editor of Banksy's Bristol: Home Sweet Home, told BBC Radio Bristol it looked like a "major Banksy show" would take place at the Tropicana.

He said: "There have been rumours for some time, but nobody knew when it was going to happen or when."

"I think we can be fairly confident there's going to be a show at the Tropicana. It has all the hallmarks of a Banksy ploy, if you like."

"It's going to be called Dismaland apparently, a take on Disneyland. It's one of Bansky's themes about consumerism and the great American dream."

He predicted, if the exhibition was confirmed, Weston-super-Mare would "benefit hugely" from it.

His Banksy versus Bristol Museum show in 2009 attracted more than 300,000 visitors over 12 weeks and was estimated to have boosted the local economy by £10m.

The elusive Bristol-born artist has an international fan-base and his works sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds at auction.