A piece of street art in Bristol, which earlier this week was confirmed as being by Banksy, was vandalised on Saturday.
The mural, which shows a young girl firing a slingshot filled with flowers, was circulated across social media with “BCC w**kers” scrawled across in pink graffiti.
"It's a real shame, but it was always going to happen, unfortunately", a local resident who spotted the graffiti said, cited by the Belfast Telegraph.
Residents in the Barton Hill area of the city woke up on Thursday morning to discover the piece, considered a charming ode to Valentines Day.
The wall the artwork was applied to reportedly belongs to a rental property owned by one Edwin Simons. His daughter, Kelly Woodruff, 37, who helps manage the property, said she became aware of it on Thursday morning when a friend tagged her on social media.
Initially there was much excitement about the new work.
"We've been down here all day and it's just been a complete buzz of excitement. There's so many people coming and enjoying it, taking pictures, it's fantastic", she said. "There's been a lot of debate if it is a Banksy or not. Most people I've spoken to think it 100% is, and they're naming it the Valentine's Banksy. It's incredible and beautiful".
She also said on Friday that she was worried that the artwork might be damaged by Storm Dennis, currently enveloping the country.
The faceless artist posted two images on their official Instagram account and website the same morning, confirming they were behind the piece.