This Banksy graffiti was scrubbed away by a council in Essex (Picture: Banksy)
This Banksy graffiti was scrubbed away by a council in Essex (Picture: Banksy)

His work is there to make people think and provoke debate.

But is Banksy actually racist?

That’s what one council thought when they scrubbed off a group of five pigeons carrying signs saying ‘migrants not welcome’, ‘go back to Africa’, and ‘keep off our worms’.

The artwork appeared in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, and some are linking it with the defection of the town’s MP, Douglas Carswell from the Tories to UKIP.

Banksy confirmed it was his artwork with two pictures on his website, but the next day the painting, on a building owned by Tendring Council, had been scrubbed clean.

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Date: 1 Oct 2014nLocation: Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, England.nA new Banksy mural worth thousands of pounds showing a group of pigeons holding anti-immigration banners has been destroyed by a local council following a complaint the work was "racist".nThe mural in Clacton-on-Sea - where a by-election is due to take place following the local MP's defection to UKIP -on Tuesday.Pictured: The spot where the painting was before the council destroyed it.nThe original artwork can be found at banksy.co.ukn
The Banksy mural on a seaside toilet block has been painted over (Picture: East News Press Agency)

The authority said they had received a complaint about the artwork on Tuesday and it was removed the following morning.

Council spokesman Nigel Brown said: ‘The site was inspected by staff who agreed that it could be seen as offensive and it was removed this morning in line with our policy to remove this type of material within 48 hours.

‘We would obviously welcome an appropriate Banksy original on any of our seafronts and would be delighted if he returned in the future.’

The painting was the second new Banksy to appear this week. The other shows an elderly woman with headphones staring at an empty plinth in Folkestone, Kent.

A new Banksy has appeared on a town's wall, showing an elderly woman with headphones staring at an empty plinth. See MASONS story MNBANKSY. The street artist himself has confirmed he is responsible for the enigmatic image in Folkestone, Kent which he has dubbed "Art Buff". The plinth sits below a patch of grey paint and a spokeswoman for the artist said the title was a play on words as the art had been "buffed out". She added: "It is up there for everyone to enjoy." The work was discovered on Sunday (28/9) evening during the town's two-month long arts Triennial Festival. A piece of perspex glass has now been placed on top of the artwork to protect it from vandals and thieves. It is the latest high-profile attraction for the Triennial festival after artist Michael Sailstorfer buried gold bars worth £10,000 on the beach.
This Banksy also appeared earlier this week (Picture: SWNS)