Banksy reveals Port Talbot garage graffiti is his work

Wales has been Banksyed - with the world famous street artist revealing that he is indeed behind a new piece of graffiti which appeared on the side of a garage overnight.

Speculation that the anonymous artist was behind the mural in Port Talbot, South Wales, had been mounting, with residents convinced it was his.

Banksy has now confirmed it with a video on Instagram showing close-ups of the finished piece, which is seemingly a comment on the town's industrial heritage.

Simply captioned "Season's greetings," the clip was viewed more than 200,000 times within an hour of being posted.

On one side of the building, the artwork depicts a child playing in what appears to be falling snow.

However, the other side tells a different story, revealing it is in fact ash being emitted from a skip fire.

Soundtracked by the children's song Little Snowflake, the video shows the artwork before panning to show the steelworks which loom over the town.

In July, black dust from the steelworks covered houses and cars in the area.

At the end of the video, a man, thought to be a resident, is seen looking at the art, saying: "They've not dropped a Banksy on us, have they?"

It is believed to be the first Banksy street art to appear in Wales.

Ian Lewis, who owns the garage and is a steelworker for the town's Tata Steel steelworks, said he first saw the artwork when images began to spread on Facebook.

The 55-year-old said: "I thought it was good, but I didn't think it was a Banksy. It's now gone viral, and there's just been an explosion (in interest).

"I didn't know much about Banksy up until about last year. A friend visited Bristol and she showed me some photographs she'd taken of his work."

Mr Lewis said he had "no idea" what his plans were with regards to the artwork.

Workers for Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council have erected metal fencing around the garage wall.

Speaking to Sky News, MP for the area Stephen Kinnock said: "I think it's a brilliant and striking work of street art.

"Port Talbot has always been a hub of creative talent, and it's great to see that we're continuing that proud tradition."

The artwork also comes after it was announced that drivers will no longer have to pay a toll on the Severn Bridge .

"Everything about it is political messaging," says resident Rachel Honey-Jones, who lives in The Mumbles on the other side of Swansea Bay.

"The way the boy has been drawn, the positioning near the steelworks, the fact it was done just after the (Severn Bridge) tolls went down."

Ms Honey-Jones has called for the artwork to be protected by the council.

Anthony Taylor, deputy leader of the council, said: "The council has been liaising with the property owner throughout the day and has put in place fencing to assist in protecting this artwork whilst they consider what their next steps might be.

"We have also been in contact with other local authorities who have previously had Banksy artworks within their area, to take advice."

In October, the iconic Banksy Girl With Balloon painting was sold by Sotheby's in London for more than £1 million - despite being half shredded in a staged Banksy prank .

Banksy shared a picture on his official Instagram account, captioning the photo: "Going, going, gone…".