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Fears Banksy Cheltenham 'spies' artwork will be removed Banksy Cheltenham Spy Booth artwork 'to be removed'
(about 2 hours later)
There are fears that a piece of artwork in Cheltenham by street artist Banksy is to be removed. A Banksy artwork in Cheltenham will be removed, the company that erected scaffolding around it has confirmed.
"Spy Booth", depicting three spies "snooping" on a telephone box appeared on a house in Hewlett Road in April. "Spy Booth", depicting men "snooping" on a telephone box, appeared on a private house in Hewlett Road in April.
On Wednesday, a specialist firm - used to remove a piece by the artist in North London - erected scaffolding around the work. On Wednesday, Q Scaffolding erected wooden panels around it, prompting fears from locals it would be removed.
The borough council said it "believes" the owner had arranged it due to the "condition of the render". Now John Joyce, of Q, has said the homeowner was paid for the work, which will be auctioned and he expected could fetch up to £1m.
But local street artist Dice67 said there was "no way" the scaffolding was there "to do any work on the walls". 'Not illegal'
And people living nearby have been guarding the site overnight to ensure the work is not removed. Mr Joyce said part of the work would be removed "on Friday", and part of it "on Sunday or Monday", before being taken to London for the sale on 4 July.
A spokesman for Gloucestershire Police said there was an increased police presence in the area because of "social tension" as people grow concerned it could be removed. He explained the landlord of the property had sold the piece for an undisclosed amount.
Cheltenham's Liberal Democrat MP Martin Horwood said he would be "disappointed" if the owner of the house decides to sell the artwork. "We are not doing anything illegal. We are preserving Banksy's legacy," he said,
'Make area safe' He added that by removing the artwork it would protect it and "stop it being vandalised".
At the beginning of June, Banksy admitted painting the work - three miles away from the government listening post, GCHQ. Earlier, Cheltenham Borough Council said it believed the owner of the house had arranged for scaffolding to be erected in order to repair rendering on the wall.
Since then "Spy Booth", which has attracted hordes of visitors, has been boarded-up by a firm owned by London's Bank Robber Art Gallery owner. 'Social tension'
Mike Redman, from Cheltenham Borough Council, said the council "believed" the scaffolding had been put up to repair the wall but "do not know the exact detail of what work is planned". People living nearby guarded the site overnight to ensure the work was not removed.
"The property owner is legally entitled to make decisions about the artwork without informing the council," he said. A spokesman for Gloucestershire Police said there was an increased presence of officers in the area because of "social tension" that has developed among residents who do not want to see it got.
"In the meantime, it is important to keep the area safe and we believe this is what has been arranged with the recent involvement of a scaffolding firm." Cheltenham's Liberal Democrat MP Martin Horwood earlier said he would be "disappointed" if the owner of the house decided to sell the work
But street artist Dice67 said the boards had only been put up around the artwork. At the beginning of June, Banksy admitted painting it - three miles away from the government listening post, GCHQ.
"I've been down there and had a look and there's no platform to get above it and they've drilled through the walls," he said. Since then "Spy Booth" has attracted hordes of visitors.
"They're definitely removing it I think."