Show caption One resident said of the vandalism: ‘It’s a real shame.’ Photograph: Matt Hutson/PA Banksy Banksy artwork in Bristol is vandalised days after appearing Piece, which appears to be a nod to Valentine’s Day, has graffiti scrawled across it PA Media Sat 15 Feb 2020 13.16 GMT Share on Facebook

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A piece of street art in Bristol that was this week confirmed as being by Banksy has been vandalised.

A picture shared on social media showed “BCC wankers” scrawled across the artwork, which shows a young girl firing a slingshot filled with flowers.

The elusive artist confirmed he was behind the piece by posting two images of it on his official Instagram account and website in the early hours of Valentine’s Day.

Residents in the Barton Hill area of the city spotted the piece, which was taken by many to be a nod to Valentine’s Day, on Thursday morning.

The artwork appeared on a rented home owned by Edwin Simons. His daughter, Kelly Woodruff, found out about it after being tagged in a Facebook post. She had said on Friday that she was concerned the artwork might be damaged by Storm Dennis.

One local resident who spotted the vandalism said: “It’s a real shame, but it was always going to happen, unfortunately.”