A LONDON pub claims to have video footage of notorious street artist Banksy spraying his latest masterpiece in their beer garden.

CCTV cameras at the Princess of Wales pub in Primrose Hill captured a hooded man spraying a Banksy-style mural during the early hours.

The owners believe it to be the handiwork of the famous street artist, whose work has sold for hundred of thousands of dollars, and have decided to let the image stay.

Pictures: Best of Banksy

"It looks very good. My husband was going to paint over it and people came in and said, 'Don’t touch it!' Everybody thinks it’s pretty much real," landlady Karen Santi told Sky News.

Ms Santi said there is ongoing rivalry between Banksy and a local street artist, which could have prompted the new graffiti.

The artwork is painted over an outside wall covered in pictures and mirrors and shows a lion facing a little girl who is holding a heart-shaped balloon.

In a mirror above the lion, the message "Run for your lives!!!" is spelled out in red paint.

The CCTV footage recorded a man in a hooded top entering the beer garden on just before 1am.

He could be seen arranging a light to allow him to work and standing back to inspect the mural.

Mrs Santi said the artist could have entered the garden through a gate accidentally left open.

Banksy's real name has reported to be Robin Gunningham and is thought to have been born in Bristol in 1974.

His artwork, including exhibitions, animatronics and embarrassing Paris Hilton, has been displayed around the world.

Melbourne Council recently inadvertently painted over a priceless piece of Banksy street art.

The council’s anti-graffiti crew painted over what is believed to be the only remaining work by the enigmatic British artist left in the city by mistake.

Banksy's first film, Exit Through the Gift Shop, billed as "the world's first street art disaster movie", made its debut at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.

Pictures: Best of Banksy

Pictures: Banksy graffiti tour of London

In-depth: All the latest travel news

Follow our Twitter blog



Follow our travel reporter and travel editor's Twitter blog



