Banksy's latest artwork removed by cleaners due to strict 'no graffiti' policy

British street artist Banksy's latest artwork inside a tube has been removed by the TfL due to strict 'no graffiti' policy.

The cleaners who it wiped away said they were ''unaware it was made by the artist'' and that they treated it ''like any other graffiti on the network," according to a Transport for London (TfL) spokesperson.

He also said that although thework was removedbut said Banksy would be welcome to recreate his message ''in a suitable location''.

The reclusive artist had painted a mask-themed graffiti in a London Tube to motivate people to wear facemasks for protection against novel coronavirus.

He alsoshared a video onInstagram in which he couldbe seen entering the Tube in the attire of the sanitation crew and using his stencils to draw the mural.

The video captioned, 'If you don't mask you don't get', shows several passengers watching Bansky as he gets to work.

''We appreciate the sentiment of encouraging people to wear face coverings, which the vast majority of customers on our transport network are doing,'' said theTfLspokesperson.

Banksy, whose real identity is unknown, has become one of the most well-known personalities of the modern art scene with a series of inspired works in public places that combine street art techniques with topical themes.