A new Banksy artwork of a cat stretched out on a blank, distressed billboard in north-west London has been removed within hours of its release, people have been up in arms.
The street artist posted a photo of the design on his Instagram on Saturday with no caption, marking the sixth in a series of animal-themed artworks in the past week.
A new Banksy appeared on Edgware Road in Cricklewood, police cordoned off the road in front of the artwork, 50 people gathered to take pictures and then saw it removed.
It followed artwork of pelicans appearing to take fish from a chip shop sign that appeared in Walthamstow, north-east London, on Friday.
Hours after Banksy confirmed the design was his in an Instagram post, crowds of people from across London flocked to see it before the men who claimed to be the contractors arrived.
The billboard was due to be removed on Monday before the artwork appeared.
A contractor, who gave his name as Mark, said the date was put forward in case someone “tore it down and left it unprotected”.
Mark said the artwork will be brought back to their yard to see if anyone collects it.
He said: “We will save it [the artwork] See if someone collects it in our yard but if not it's a skip.
“I've been told to keep it carefully if he likes it.”
Blackboard was originally used to cover most of the cat on the billboard at the request of the police who wanted to stop it from walking down the road in front of traffic.
The removal effort was briefly halted by police as officers checked that the pieces had been approved for removal before contractors were allowed to continue work.
The owner of the billboard told police he was donating it to an art gallery, an officer at the scene said.
Ben Tansley, 71, a member of the North West Two Residents Association, said: “If it's not secured overnight someone will take it. It's such a shame.”
The association's chairwoman, Carol Reimann, 64, added: “This is Cricklewood, this is our Banksy. You can't enjoy it all day before someone wants to take it down.
“You wait a lifetime for a Banksy to come to our neighborhood. Cricklewood is on the map.”
One of the many films I've seen this past week.
A stenciled image of a goat appeared at Kew on Monday, while a Bristol-based artist revealed a picture of two elephants touching trunks in Chelsea on Tuesday, although it was found defaced by lines on Friday.
Three monkeys hanging from a bridge in Brick Lane drew crowds on Wednesday, while a howling wolf was spotted on a satellite dish in Peckham on Thursday.
As artwork of two pelicans appeared above the sign of a fish and chip shop in Walthamstow on Friday, one resident told BBC News: “It's really exciting.
“A friend texted me early this morning and this appeared to be right up my street, so we arranged to come down soon.
“It's so fun and healthy — so good to see.”
Bonner's Fish Bar, she believed, was remarkable.
“It's a symbol of an area, and I'm sure that's why it was chosen,” he said.
“It's been here a long time, and it's very well-liked.”
A satellite dish in Rye Lane, Peckham, had a wolf stencil on Thursday, taken down from the top of a building within hours of its exposure.
A video was shot showing two men removing it and carrying it down the street.
The Banksy Press Group told the BBC they “believe” it was stolen.
A statement from the Metropolitan Police said it had received complaints of food theft, adding that “no arrests have been made” and that “investigations are ongoing”.
The Banksy Press Group declined to comment on the possible meaning behind the series of stencils in London.