Fifth Banksy in five days appears in London

The artist Banksy has confirmed he is behind a new artwork of two pelicans above a fish and chip shop in north-east London.

The birds are shown in silhouette, fishing, above the the shop on the corner of Pretoria Avenue and Northcote Road, Walthamstow.

It is the fifth image in London since Monday that the elusive street artist has confirmed is his work, via his Instagram account.

A goat appeared in Kew on Monday, two elephants touching trunks in Chelsea was first seen on Tuesday, three monkeys hanging from a bridge in Brick Lane drew crowds on Wednesday, and a howling wolf on a satellite dish was installed in Peckham on Thursday – which within hours was believed to have been stolen.

One local resident told BBC News: “It’s genuinely really exciting.

“A friend messaged me early this morning telling me it’s appeared on my street so we arranged to come down as soon as we could.”

‘So fun and wholesome’

She added: “It’s so fun and wholesome so that’s what’s really nice to see.”

She said she believed the location of the work above Bonners Fish Bar was significant. “It’s a bit of an icon of the local area, so I’m sure that’s why it’s been chosen. It’s been here a long time and it’s well loved.”

Another local, Hannah, said she joined other spectators as soon as she found out about the work.
“I was lying in bed, scrolling through social media and it popped up.”

She added: “I said ‘come on kids, get your coats on, we’re going to go out and see the new Banksy on Bonners’.
“We live a few door away so it’s very exciting.”

On Thursday, the Bristol-based artist posted an image on Instagram of the silhouette of a wolf howling on a satellite dish in Rye Lane, Peckham, south London.

It was later removed, with a video appearing to show two people using a ladder to take it down and carry it off down the road.

The Banksy press team told the BBC they “believed” it had been stolen.

The Metropolitan Police said it had been called to reports of a “stolen satellite dish containing artwork” but no arrests had been made.

The BBC understands the art series is set to conclude at the end of this week.