Archive · 9 Aug 2026
Banksy artworks cost public bodies almost £150,000
There is a famous artist called Banksy who makes art in public places without asking first.
Some of his artwork ended up on important government buildings.
The government now has to spend money to clean it up and keep it safe.
In total, three of his artworks have cost almost £150,000.
The biggest cost was for a mural on the Royal Courts of Justice in London.
It showed a judge hitting a protester with a gavel.
The government spent £50,000 trying to remove the paint and another £35,300 on security and overtime.
The police are looking into the mural as criminal damage, but nobody has been arrested yet.
Some people think Banksy should not paint on public buildings, while others think his art is special and worth visiting.
Three Banksy artworks have cost public bodies almost £150,000 in cleaning, security and other costs, with the bill expected to rise.
A mural on the Royal Courts of Justice cost the Ministry of Justice £50,000 to remove, plus £35,300 in overtime and security.
The mural, showing a judge battering a protester with a gavel, was claimed by Banksy on his website and Instagram.
The Metropolitan Police are investigating the mural as criminal damage; no arrests have been made.
Westminster City Council spent almost £60,000 on a Banksy statue in Waterloo Place, and a 2024 piranha mural on a City of London Police sentry box cost £2,200 to remove.
- Who
- Banksy, the anonymous street artist, along with the Ministry of Justice, the Metropolitan Police and Westminster City Council
- What
- Three Banksy artworks have cost public bodies almost £150,000 in cleaning, security and other costs, with the bill expected to rise
- When
- The Royal Courts of Justice mural appeared on September 8, 2025; the piranha mural dates to 2024
- Where
- London, UK — the Royal Courts of Justice, Waterloo Place and a City of London Police sentry box
- Why
- The Royal Courts of Justice is a listed building and HMCTS is obliged to maintain its original character, so the unsanctioned artworks required cleaning, security and removal
Art Valuers
Taxpayer Watchdogs
Public art or criminal damage?
Art Valuers
Art critic Estelle Lovatt suggests the mural has real cultural value, saying that just as some people visit Buckingham Palace, others visit Banksy's art.
Taxpayer Watchdogs
Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy calls it outrageous that taxpayers' money will be spent cleaning up after Banksy, who 'seems to believe he has a right to deface public buildings with impunity.'
Remove the artwork or preserve it?
Art Valuers
Some people value Banksy's works as art worth seeing and travelling to, rather than something to be erased.
Taxpayer Watchdogs
HM Courts and Tribunals Service says it is obliged to maintain the original character of the listed Royal Courts of Justice, and police are investigating the mural as criminal damage.
- Total public costs
- Almost £150,000
- Mural removal cost
- £50,000 (Ministry of Justice)
- Overtime and security
- £35,300
- Westminster City Council statue
- Almost £60,000
- Piranha mural removal
- £2,200
- Mural location
- Royal Courts of Justice, London
- Mural date
- September 8, 2025
- Arrests
- None so far