Banksy blesses Beckenham

A new statue has appeared overnight on Beckenham village green and has caused a great deal of interest from locals and tourists alike. The statue, it is claimed, has been made by the popular pseudonymous artist known as Banksy. He has yet to confirm this, and locals are awaiting the pronouncement of his PR company with anticipation.

The statue would appear to be an image of a man wearing jeans and a teeshirt, pulling down his trousers and 'mooning' passers by. If you look at the plinth the statue has been placed on, there appears to be a Banksy signature stencilled onto it, but this could have been anybody.

It is a mystery how something so big can have been put up without anyone noticing. Several Beckenham residents have speculated about what they think Banksy is saying in this statue.

"I think he's saying that we are about to walk over a village green without taking notice of anything around us" said one passer by.

"It's as if the man in the statue is turning his back on the people of Beckenham and their values," said another. "And pulling his trousers down like that is just, well, just plain rude," she continued.

"I think it's just a bit of fun," said one man on the way from St George's car park to buy a newspaper.

"What statue?" asked another passer by.

It is believed that the statue went up under the cover of darkness, in the early hours of this morning. Banksy's works are often removed, soon after they appear, but the impression they leave on people remains.

It is not clear whether Banksy has applied for planning permission to create the new installation on the green but the work has already become popular with locals and tourists alike, bringing much needed revenue into the Borough. There may be pressure on Councillors, from local businesses, to allow the statue to remain on the green.

Local art experts are in two minds about whether the new statue is a genuine Banksy or whether it is a copycat stunt, like the one that went up in Central London earlier this year. Some are convinced the whole story has been made up. What do you think?

If you are a Beckenham resident and have seen this story on the BAG group, please feel free to comment there.

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