Banksy mural weighing 4.5 tonnes set to be cut out of a garage

How do you transport a Banksy mural weighing 4.5 tonnes which is painted on a garage wall?

With difficulty – but that’s what its owner is doing, so that it can be moved to a street art museum.

The wall has been painted with resin to try and stop it from crumbling, while it will be carefully cut out, lifted by a crane, and driven on an HGV with a police escort.

The piece of art caused a stir when it was painted onto the corner wall of a garage in the dead of night.

It shows a child standing under falling ash that appears as snow as a wheelie bin or skip burns.

Art collector John Brandler bought the Seasons Greetings artwork for over £100,000 in Port Talbot, South Wales.

He said: ‘I own about a dozen Banksys and this is the one I am proud to own.

‘It’s such an important piece – it talks about pollution, it talks about children, it talks about our future. Not just in Port Talbot, not just in Britain but on this planet.’

John said he will be watching the removal with ‘trepidation’.

He said: ‘I’ll be hiding behind the corner with my eyes closed like when I was a child watching Doctor Who, hiding behind the sofa.
“It will be the same feeling.’

A wooden frame is already in place to keep it upright as it is lifted onto a HGV.

It will then be driven to the Ty’r Orsaf building in the town as part of a street art gallery.

Dave Williams, a civil contracts manager, is in charge of the big move.

He said: ‘This is the first time we’ve ever moved an art piece, let alone a Banksy, it’s quite a challenge, but a challenge we’re embracing.’