A MURAL in Harwich that could be the work of graffiti artist Banksy has been covered with a protective screen.

The spray painting - which depicts a boy in Victorian clothing with a face mask on the end of a fishing line - appeared on the pill box by the Stone Pier, next to Harwich’s Beacon Hill Fort, last week.

Art lovers and families flocked to the site wondering whether the Banksy-style work is the real deal.

The secretive artist has been in Norfolk and Suffolk during his Great British Spraycation this summer and painted ten murals in the counties.

Tendring Council quickly brought in a security guard to protect the work in Harwich, despite not knowing whether it was a genuine Banksy.

The authority said it had an expert check the work and they reported that if it’s not a Banksy then it’s an incredibly similar work, and has all his hallmarks.

A protective screen was put over the work on Friday.

Neil Stock, council leader, said the artwork had been popular with visitors across the weekend.

“We installed a clear screen over the artwork on Friday afternoon to protect the piece from any damage, intentional or otherwise, and removed the security guard which had been in place as a temporary measure.

“We know many people have continued to visit the artwork, even though it is not as yet confirmed to be a Banksy, so I am glad we took the steps we did to protect the piece.

“Hopefully we will find out soon if it is a genuine Banksy or not, but either way it is a great piece of art.”

The council was previously criticised for scrubbing off a Banksy artwork from a wall on Clacton seafront during the town’s high-profile by-election in 2014.

The work, which art experts at the time believed could have been worth about £200,000, showed a group of pigeons holding anti-immigration placards and was thought to refer to the by-election.