Banksy Vandal attack – on work’s protective screen

SOMEONE has tried to vandalise a Banksy in Cotham - but thankfully it had a protective cover.

The Rose Trap is an early Banksy on Thomas Street North, located just a few minutes away from one the artist’s most well-known pieces in the city, The Mild Mild West, on Stokes Croft.

The smaller mural features a delicate rose lying on a mousetrap and is painted on the side of a house.

Thankfully, people residing in the building loved it so much that they put a protective piece of perspex on top with a wooden frame, making it one of the few framed pieces of street art in Bristol.

However, someone has now tried to vandalise The Rose Trap, making it the second Banksy to be defaced this year.

Liz, of the nearby pub The Hare On The Hill, said it was a shame the piece had been targeted.

She said: “I have only just seen that it’s been vandalised myself, what a shame.

“It hasn’t been vandalised while we’ve had the pub, since February 2019.”

In February this year, the new Banksy in Barton Hill was vandalised two days after it appeared.

Banksy confirmed the new piece of street art was his work at midnight – the start of Valentine’s Day – on his Instagram account and his website.

A day later, Banksy’s latest work in Bristol was defaced with offensive wording and a poorly drawn heart in pink over it.

On that occasion, the plastic sheet which had been placed over the Banksy to protect it was also removed.

The artist then went on to say he was “glad” the Barton Hill piece got vandalised.

Another Banksy to have been damaged in recent years was the Well Hung Lover, which has been on display in Bristol’s Park Street since 2006 and was targeted by vandals back in 2018.

The piece was painted over and tagged by unknown graffiti artists, with more offensive wording being sprayed a few feet lower, alongside other tags.

Do you own the house where the Rose Trap is? Email estel.farellroig@ reachplc.com