A court in New York has granted a $6.7 million (£5.2 million) award for nearly two dozen artists whose graffiti at a once-famous site were destroyed to make room for high-rise luxury residences.

The graffiti site known as 5Pointz, in Long Island City, was a tourist attraction that drew thousands of people. It was destroyed by developers in 2013 and the artists - from the United States, Australia, Japan, Brazil and Colombia - sought damages.

A federal appeals courts on Friday ruled that a judge was correct to award damages against developers and hailed graffiti as a "major category of contemporary art".

Barrington D Parker, the judge, said: "In recent years, 'street art', much of which is 'temporary', has emerged as a major category of contemporary art."

Mr Parker noted that the street artist Banksy has appeared alongside former President Barack Obama and the late Apple founder Steve Jobs on Time magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people.