Banksy style graffiti appears in Cookham (From This Is Local London)

Banksy style graffiti appears in Cookham

4:50pm Tuesday 10th November 2009

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COOKHAM'S answer to the infamous 'street artist' Banksy may have arrived after a mysterious graffiti artist began tagging post boxes in the village.

Two unusual pieces of grafitti have been drawn on the red Royal Mail units around the village.

The first is a white skull in Spring Lane and the second is a 1950s style gangster holding what appears to be a machine gun in his right hand in Terry's Lane.

The drawings were spotted and photographed by I.T consultant James Hamilton, 30, of Lower Road, Cookham.

He said: “I drive past it every day and it was just totally out of the blue, it's eerie. It's not the usual mindless graffiti and it's not abusive.

“It doesn't have any humour in it but obviously has a meaning.

"I reckon it's probably an art student, someone like that, perhaps doing a thesis and finding out what can kind of reaction it gets, whether it goes viral.”

He added: “But why post boxes? Perhaps it's a disgruntled postman.”

Both drawings seem to have been done with a stencil, in a similar fashion to the anonymous street artist known only as Banksy, whose work has become iconic, especially in London.

Among the better known pieces of 'art' he has created was a scene from Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction on the London Underground with Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta clutching bananas instead of guns.

Another well known example was when he climbed into the penguin enclosure at London Zoo and painted 'We're bored of fish' in seven foot high letters.

The Royal Mail said it would be looking into the matter.

PC Mark Chapman said that it was being treated as criminal damage and a third tag had already been wiped off another box.

"We take a dim view of it, we are seeking information for people to come forward so we can deal directly with the person causing the damage.

"We are eager to know who it is."

The two pieces of graffiti will be cleaned off, he added.

Anyone with information can contact 08458 505 505 or e-mail cwbhneighbourhood.pnn.police.uk.

Have you seen any strange or striking graffiti in your area like this? Leave comments below or e-mail jnadal@london.newsquest.co.uk

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