Missing Banksy freezer is RETURNED in council u-turn one day after it mysteriously vanished from priceless mural
MISERY council officials who confiscated a freezer that featured on a new Banksy mural have RETURNED it.
Workers in Margate, Kent, sparked fury after ripping the fridge from the artwork – but today insisted it was for “health and safety”.
The mural on the side of a building appeared on Tuesday, with the notorious Bristol-based artist confirming it was his on Instagram.
It shows a bruised 1950s housewife in an apron and washing-up gloves pushing a man into a freezer.
The cold-storage unit – believed to have been placed against the wall purposely – has the man’s legs sticking out as she closes the lid on him.
A closer look reveals the woman has a swollen eye and a missing tooth.
The piece – titled Valentine’s Day Mascara – highlights the issue of violence against women.
It is a play on the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929 that saw seven Chicago gang members gunned down.
Workers removed the chest freezer and other items, including pans and what appeared to be a broken table, on Wednesday.
A brown bin then briefly appeared in the freezer’s space, it is unclear who placed it there.
But all items were returned after being made “safe” by Thanet District Council – it is unclear exactly what the council did to the items.
North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale defended the decision but conceded it had been “heavy-handed”.
He explained: “I hope and believe that it can and it should be preserved and displayed safely so that as many people as possible can see it.
“If you’ve got something as potentially dangerous as a chest freezer into which a child could climb (into) and suffocate, you actually can’t responsibly just leave it.”
In a statement, Thanet District Council said: “The freezer which council operatives removed from the Banksy installation in Margate has now been made safe.
“It has been returned to its original position at the site of the artwork today.
“The council has a duty to ensure the ongoing safety of the public; it was necessary to carry out works to the freezer for health and safety reasons.
“Banksy raises the important issue of domestic abuse in this artwork.
“We are in touch with the owner of the property to understand their intentions around the preservation of the piece and to secure the best possible outcome for the local community and victims of domestic abuse.”
And it’s not the first time the street artist has struck in Kent.
In 2017, an EU flag-themed piece appeared on a derelict building near Dover’s ferry terminal.
