A building which features an early mural by mysterious and elusive guerrilla artist Banksy is going under the hammer next month.
Titled The Mild Mild West, the mural is painted on the side of a building which is home to a number of rental houses and empty shops in BristolThe building's owner bought the property for £55,000 in 2000, after Banksy painted the mural. Read MoreBREAKING NEWS Banksy's tree mural is defaced after just three days: Vandals throw white paint across new north London artwork as council erects metal security fence 'He wasn't happy with the coppers after doing his first draft, and if you look closely, you'll see he's adjusted the outlines of the policemen. Banksy's a perfectionist.
He added: 'Banksy's first design had a building in flames, with a looter fleeing the inferno with a loaded shopping trolley. But then I started talking to him about the episode on Winterstoke Road. That was what gave him the idea for the piece. Sadly, the tree mural was defaced after just three days - with vandals hurling white paint across the new north London artwork before a local authority erected a metal security fence.
Last year, a brand new Banksy was stolen from a south London street in December less than an hour after it was revealed to be genuine.A man was seen taking down the sign using a pair of bolt cutters - balancing on an e-bike to allow him to reach. The rider of the e-bike was an onlooker and didn't carry out the theft