The new Banksy mural in north London has been covered with plastic sheeting and surrounded by wooden boards.

Banksy claimed the artwork as his own shortly after it appeared on the side of a residential building in Hornsey Road, Finsbury Park, on 18 March.

The mural was defaced with two streaks of white paint a week ago.

It has now been covered with plastic sheeting by the building’s owner, Islington Council said on Wednesday.

“The Banksy artwork has attracted huge crowds, and there is a need to protect the art and local residents from the impact of visitor numbers,” a spokesman for the council said.

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