'Banksy' paints Southampton mural

Controversial street artist Banksy is believed to be responsible for a mural on a garden wall in Southampton.

The image is of a child sitting on the pavement holding a red balloon which forms part of the phrase "no future".

It was sprayed onto a white wall in Bevois Valley in recent weeks and a photo of it has also appeared on the artist's website, possibly indicating it is genuine.

Fans of the artist have been visiting the site to take photos of the mural.

Pauline Hodges, who runs a business across the road, said: "I think it's lovely. People are stopping all the time now so it's very good for us."

She added: "We think, as a picture, it's fantastic. A lot of artists like to be different and I think it's his way of saying, look, come on, we need to do something about the future. He likes to be controversial."

The Bristol-based artist, who has never revealed his identity, is known for painting political and satirical graffiti on walls during the night, apparently unnoticed.

His works of art have fetched as much as £600,000 at auction. Collectors reportedly include Angelina Jolie and Damien Hirst.