A suspected Banksy artwork has appeared on a boarded up public toilet in London.
The artwork shows Banksy’s signature image of a girl holding gold balloons in the shape of toilet seats.
The ‘cheeky’ graffiti was spotted by residents on Thursday in Clerkenwell Green, Farringdon.
Al Scott, who owns Scotti’s Snack Bar that overlooks the boarded-up toilet said he met a mysterious man painting the scaffolding earlier in the week.
‘Some bloke came in the morning and said I’m just doing some painting,’ Scott told MailOnline.
He added: ‘He came in a bit early and asked if I could do him a roll.
‘I made him an egg and bacon roll he seemed like a nice guy. He said had to get a train from Farringdon to Paddington.
‘He came in about quarter to seven Monday or Tuesday. He said he’d been doing a bit of decorating but then that (the graffiti) came after.
‘He had a flat cap and glasses he looked a bit outlandish nothing distinctive he was wearing a tradesman jacket and overalls.
‘He was a white guy he’s got to be in his 40s.
‘It seems like no one’s got cameras that face on the square which makes it an interesting spot to choose to do it.’
Chris Hristov, 25, who works at the Crown Tavern, overlooking the square agreed that the location is discreet.
He said: ‘I think none of the cameras around here point to the toilets so it’s deliberate.
‘It happened overnight all I saw was a big group of people taking pictures the next day.
‘It kind of makes sense because it’s a bit cheeky there’s a public toilet it’s got a girl holding toilet seats.’
A notice is displayed next to the piece ‘forbidding’ people from removing or tampering with it.
The sign reads: ‘Verification of authenticity is currently being sought via the approximate channel, the Pest Control Office website, as it is the correct procedure.’
The Pest Control Office is the official body that verifies Banksy’s work.
Sally, a local resident said she interpreted the notices as a ‘joke’.
She said: ‘I think it’s an April fool’s joke.
‘I think it’s a joke about the fact the public toilet has been boarded up forever.’
James Hawkings, 27, a lighting technician working in the area agrees.
He said: ‘It doesn’t look like his normal level of quality but they are authenticating it.
‘It does look like it could be a bit budget.
‘I think it’s a fake, I think it’s a ruse.’
But others disagreed with him suggesting that the work could have easily been painted by the famous artist.
Ray Hong, 24, a fashion designer told MailOnline: ‘I think it might be a Banksy. I think it’s cool.
‘We’re based in the area I usually come to the street to go to Waitrose and this is new.
‘I would say it’s good to have some art in this area. It’s nice for the community that it’s here I love to see this.’
Echo Dheng, 26, an art director agreed, adding that it could boost the cost of house prices in the area.
She said: ‘I think the Farringdon area is so busy and it’s rare to see artwork here.
‘I think the artwork might influence the house prices it might improve it. It’s really nice.’
And while the graffiti hasn’t been verified yet, resident John Sacks, 78, said it’s added ‘cheer’ to the area.
He said: ‘I was told it was here so I came down to see it.
‘It’s nice to see it here, whether it is a Banksy or not.
‘Anything you can do cheer up this place is really nice.’
That’s not the first time a mysterious suspected Banksy painting has excited north Londoners, however.
Almost exactly a year ago, locals living in Finsbury Park were certain Banksy had been at work in the area.
Londoners awoke to an artwork on a building near the park showing a splattering of green painted behind a bare tree to look like foliage, with a stencil of a person holding what appears to be a pressure hose next to it.
After the painting was posted to social media, hundreds of Banksy fans began flocking to the site to inspect whether it was truly the work of the mysterious artist. James Peak, who created the BBC Radio 4 series The Banksy Story, was one of those who rushed to the scene.
‘To my mind it looks like a dead cert,’ he told the BBC.
‘But as ever with Banksy – you never quite know, until he fesses up by posting it on his website.’
One of the works which did indeed make it to Banksy’s website was his famous Girl with Balloon painting. The painting was stolen in a heist of Grove Gallery, Fitzrovia, in late September.
The painting, with an estimated value of £250,000, was taken by Larry Fraser, 47, and James Love, 54, who were both arrested a short time later.
Fraser, 47, admitted non-residential burglary at Kingston Crown Court but Love denied the charge.
Love will face trial next September, with Fraser’s sentencing adjourned until after its conclusion.
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