Art attack: second Banksy mural removed from wall for sale

Another Banksy mural has been removed from a wall in north London so it can be sold, prompting an outcry from residents furious at losing another piece of their heritage.

The work, called ‘No Ball Games’ by the mysterious street artist, was sprayed on the side of a shop in Tottenham four years ago.

The same group responsible for selling Banksy work Slave Labour, which was taken from a wall in Wood Green last February and sold for an estimated £750,000 in June, are behind the removal.

Alkin Ali, 28, who rents the shop where the mural is sprayed said his landlord told him last Friday that they would be removing part of his shop wall.

Mr Ali told the Standard: “He said they were taking the painting, and asked if I minded that there would be some work done at the side of my shop. I said that was okay. They began work on Sunday.”

The mural depicts a boy and girl looking upwards towards a sign saying ‘No Ball Games’ which they are throwing between themselves.

Mr Ali, who opened his shop Alex BG Shop in 2011, added: “They have taken the boy and the sign. Today they will take the girl.

“When I first arrived, for at least six months, I didn’t know it was a Banksy. But then there were so many people coming into the shop and taking photos and asking me about it, I worked out it was something special.

“People would come all the time to see it, but every Sunday, guaranteed, I would have someone ask me about it. I never thought about how much it is worth, but I am sad it has gone.”

Ian Pereira, 48, from Tottenham said he was “gutted” at the loss of the mural, which was on Tottenham High Road at the junction with Philip Lane.

He said: “A lot of people around here knew how important it was, and they were proud of it. People came into Tottenham to see it and spend a few quid in the local shops.