Banksy has put an end to speculation that a new piece of street art in Hackney is one of his.

Hackney Gazette reported yesterday (March 5) that a black stencilled image of a woman smoking had been spotted in Southgate Road, with one reader suggesting it might be a Banksy.

The artist’s office has now confirmed that he did not create the image and is not in any way connected to it.

The street art, which appeared at the junction with Northchurch Road opposite popular boozer The De Beauvoir Arms, was graffitied on a white wall next to a Grade-II listed red phone box.

The woman in the image appears as if she has stepped out of the phone box for a cigarette, holding the receiver in her left hand and a cigarette holder in her right.

One local who spotted the painting on February 25, thought they could detect the elusive artist’s signature style in the black stencilled silhouette and contacted Banksy’s office, Pest Control.

When they did not respond, we reached out to verify its provenance. A spokesperson for Banksy has now said: “This is not by the artist Banksy nor connected to the artist.”