The 50ft four-letter word by 'Deeside Banksy' is much ruder than it first looks
A North Wales village has been mildly scandalised by four letters mown into grass onto a children’s playing field. At first glance they appear to spell "COOK" but residents insist the word is altogether ruder.
The guerilla graffiti in Ewloe, Flintshire, has become the talk of the village, causing widespread shock and hilarity. The culprit’s identity is a mystery but he or she has been labelled Deeside’s answer to Britain’s best-known subversive artist. “Has Banksy bought himself a lawnmower?” wondered one local when he shared pictures online.
Now one knows exactly why the 50ft-long letters were mown neatly in grass on Big Park playing fields in the St David’s area of Ewloe. As they are so neat, it’s assumed a ride-on mower was used - and that confusion was created by the tyre tracks it left when adding a second letter “C”. “It definitely doesn’t say “cook,” confirmed one resident.
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Darren Sterry, planning chair at Hawarden Community Council, has been trying to find out more about the grass graffiti. He said: “I can’t be 100% sure what it says - but it could only be one of two words.
“Seeing it was a bit of a shock. Whoever did it has very good mowing skills as the letters are so well done. But no one seems to know why.
"Nor has anyone seen the word being mown. If it was done at night, surely someone would have heard it?”
Later aerial photos confirmed the word as being obscene or poultry-related. In 2015, a more distinct example of anatomical graffiti appeared in bracken on the Clwydian Hills – the 100ft phallic symbol went unnoticed for two months until it was revealed by snow.
Two years ago, satellite images revealed another giant penis mown into a meadow near Swindon, Wiltshire. The Ewloe effort was less creative but far neater in execution. Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone
“This is absolutely bloody hilarious!” said a woman from Mold when seeing photos on social media. Another added: “Wow, the universe is really transpiring for me way to get a message to my ex, lol!”
Some residents rushed to the park to get a look, others toasted the Deeside Banksy. “Whoever it was they are owed a decent drink,” said a resident.
Another person saluted the artist’s “absolute class”. “I’d just like to thank you for adding a serious amount of amusement to my evening,” she said.
Mark Dash, owner of DashTickets - and who regularly comments on viral social media posts - added: "This was probably a very practical endeavour caused by the length of the grass.
"After doing what he did, well, they had to mow it, am I right? This is actually an example of civic courage as well as creativity in getting the job done."
Some wondered if a disgruntled council worker may have been responsible – residents claimed grass verges were mown in the area recently. Cllr Sterry said the field had been at the centre of grass-cutting complaints but he’s not convinced they are linked to Ewloe’s field-sized message.
“A resident complained about the lack of cutting, and the length of the grass, on the playing field,” he said. “But it’s not the community council’s responsibility. I chased it up and eventually the field was mown three or four weeks ago. Since then, the grass appears to have grown long again.
“I saw recently that people in Buckley cut the grass on their local football pitch as they were sick of waiting for the county council to do it. But if someone in Ewloe was complaining about council inaction, you’d have thought they would have added an “s” to the end of the word!”
Unlike Banksy’s artwork, Ewloe’s controversial graffiti is unlikely to be preserved for posterity. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
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