Three Banksy works cost Britain over 170 euros to maintain

Banksy's guerrilla works have generated millions of dollars in auction sales and drawn crowds wherever they have appeared. But they have also left British taxpayers facing an ever-increasing bill for their clean-up.

Public authorities across London have spent an estimated $203 (€175) on the removal, protection and management of three works by the anonymous street artist since 2024, according to data obtained by the BBC through Freedom of Information Act requests. The total is set to rise as officials continue their efforts to remove one of the artist's last murals from the walls of London's Royal Courts of Justice, which was completed last year.

The work, which depicts a wigged judge hammering a protester, has so far cost the British Ministry of Justice $67 in efforts to remove it, with another $48 spent on security and extra staff hours while the work was there. Contractors are now using laser technology after initial attempts to clean it failed. Officials have said replacing the damaged section of stone could be the next step if those efforts fail.

The mural has reignited a long-running debate over whether Banksy's actions should be treated as criminal vandalism or as culturally significant public art. Critics, including Nick Timothy, argued that taxpayers should not bear the cost of cleaning up what he described as damage to a national symbol of the rule of law. Others defended the work, saying that Banksy's murals attract visitors and make art accessible outside of traditional museums and galleries. The courthouse mural is just the latest example.

In April, Westminster City Council said it had spent about $81 on security barriers, protective measures and administrative costs after Banksy secretly placed a sculpture in Waterloo, near Trafalgar Square. The council, which became the legal owner of the sculpture because it is on public land, said it was still considering what to do with the work.

Earlier, in August 2024, London removed a police guardhouse that Banksy had transformed into a piranha fish scene, at a cost of nearly $3. Rather than ending up in a landfill, the structure was placed in storage and is expected to be on display to the public when the Museum of London reopens in November.