Paint job proves costly

The recovery of a Banksy mural accidentally painted over by a community worker could cost thousands of pounds, a conservator has said.

Gorilla In A Pink Mask is one of the graffiti artist's early pieces, drawn on the side of a former social club in Eastville, Bristol - Banksy's home city.

The ape was a familiar sight for more than ten years, but the man responsible for the whitewash said he had never even heard of the renowned artist.

Now Richard Pelter, the director and head conservator of the International Fine Art Conservation Studios, has said the mural could be recovered but it would be painstaking work and cost thousands of pounds.

He said: "The place was being decorated, and kitted out ready for occupation and they painted over graffiti. Somebody may have realised it was a Banksy, somebody else didn't."