RESIDENTS are furious after another Banksy mural was ripped from the wall of a local home in the middle of the night.
A crane tore the artwork out of the wall in Lowestoft, Suffolk before lowering it onto a lorry late on Tuesday evening.
The graffiti artist's mural originally depicted a huge seagull swooping down to munch on polystyrene chips piled in a yellow skip.
Painted in August 2021, it attracted hundreds of visitors to Lowestoft, the easternmost town in the UK.
But the yellow skip was removed in December, after an "unknown third party" took away the fake chips in January 2022.
Speculation mounts over possible Banksy mural as it appears on Somerset building
Cops and security officers kept a crowd of fuming locals at bay as the priceless artwork was removed.
Another Banksy mural in Lowestoft, depicting a young girl with a crowbar, was removed in November 2021.
East Suffolk Council told Eastern Daily Press: "While we are naturally disappointed by the reported removal of the Banksy seagull from the side of a building in Lowestoft, it is ultimately the right of the owner to make decisions about their own property.
"We acknowledge that Banksy works, by their nature, may not always be permanent features.
"We remain grateful for the attention that Banksy has brought to Lowestoft – a town with a burgeoning arts and cultural scene that will continue to go from strength to strength."
Resident Oliver Bolton said: "It's a real shame for the town to lose another Banksy, but I'm glad we had time to enjoy it before it was taken away."
It comes after a new Banksy mural which was ruined by jobsworth council workers had parts stolen from it before it could be preserved.
The artwork on the side of a building in Margate, Kent, originally showed a bruised 1950s housewife in an apron and washing-up gloves pushing a man into a freezer.
But just 24 hours after the artwork was first spotted, council workers removed the freezer - leaving behind a blank space.
Thanet Council later made a U-turn, putting the freezer back in place - after a bizarre interlude in which it was replaced by a wheelie bin.
Banksy the painting dog finally lands forever family after 550 days in kennels
In a still stranger twist, the freezer was removed again, hours after after the council put it back.
