London authorities have reportedly imposed "temporary measures" around a new graffiti by British street artist Banksy after it was painted over within days of its appearance.
Islington Council, in north London, said it had put up a fence, surveillance cameras and ordered visits by public officials to monitor viewers to help protect the artwork.
The graffiti, depicting a man spray-painting tree leaves on a white wall behind a leafless tree, appeared on a street near Finsbury Park this week.
The mystery artist appeared to confirm his role in creating the artwork by posting before and after photos of the transformed wall on Instagram.
But after an avalanche of media reports and public attention, by early Wednesday it was broken. Photos shared on social media showed two streaks of white paint splattered across the bright green artwork.
"It is sad to see that the artwork has been defaced," an Islington Council spokesman said.
"We are discussing future solutions with the homeowner to enable everyone to enjoy the artwork while protecting it, the tree and the surrounding area.
"We are also in the process of installing a CCTV camera."
In December, police arrested two men on suspicion of theft and criminal damage after a Banksy artwork was removed from a south London street corner within hours of appearing there. / BGNES
