Suspected Banksy appears on building in London's Finsbury Park

A mysterious artwork believed to be a Banksy has appeared in London – and residents are already worried their rent is about to be hiked.

The massive mural popped up ‘overnight’ on the side of a building near Finsbury Park, north London.

The piece is a huge green splatter behind a leafless tree, which makes it look like foliage.

Underneath, there is a portrait of a girl holding what seems to be a pressure sprayer while she looks up.

Residents said they woke up this morning to the artwork on the side of the flat complex.

Local James Roebuck, 26, said on X: ‘Banksy came overnight and now my rent will skyrocket.’

The work is currently unconfirmed, however, the creator of the BBC Radio 4 series The Banksy Story, James Peak, has said he is certain the artwork belongs to the elusive artist.

‘The message is clear. Nature’s struggling and it is up to us to help it grow back,’ he told the BBC.

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‘If you go way back to the beginning of his work, he is always looking for something he can do with minimum effort to make something look really cool.’

Peak praised Banksy’s eye for detail, noticing that the bright green colour used was that of Islington Council, as well as a nod to St Patrick’s Day.

‘It’s spring now, and this tree should be bursting forth with leaves, but Banksy must have cycled past and thought how miserable it looks,

“So, on St Patrick’s Day, he has taken exactly the same shade of green Islington Council use for their street signs and used a pressure hose or a fire extinguisher to spray the leaves back in, onto the rather dilapidated wall behind,’ he said.

Islington councillor Flora Williamson spotted the artwork whilst out canvassing in her borough.

She said it was ‘by far the most exciting thing to happen’ today and there was ‘lots of local interest’.

Banksy posts his artwork on his Instagram account and there has been no posts of his pieces since December of last year.

Pest Control, an official body that authenticates Banksy prints, has been approached for comment.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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