After the local council in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex received complaints about a racist mural, they acted quickly to remove it from sight.
However, it seems they might have acted too quickly, as it turns out the 'graffiti' was actually a piece of work by world-renowned artist Banksy, and could have been worth a considerable sum of money.
The piece depicted a bunch of pigeons and an exotic bird, with the former group holding up signs and placards with racist slogans on them like 'Go back to Africa', 'Keep off our worms' and 'Migrants not welcome'.
According to AP, the piece appeared just days before a by-election in the town as a result of the local Conservative Party representative switching his allegiance to the U.K. Independence Party, who are anti-immigration.
The council spokesperson, Nigel Brown, admitted that they hadn't know who it was by when they received the complaint and ordered it to be taken down, and that "there was a sharp intake of breath when we realized it was a Banksy". He added, however, that "we would love him to come back, We're not against Banksy or murals".
Via AP. Main pic via Banksy.co.uk
