Vandals grafitti Banksy artwork

A mural by street artist Banksy has been vandalised just two weeks after it appeared on a wall in a seaside town.

The piece, called Art Buff, depicts an older woman staring at an empty plinth while wearing headphones with her hands clasped behind her back.

But yesterday evening, a spray-painted penis was added to the plinth of the artwork in Payers Park in Folkestone, Kent, England.

The damage is not expected to be permanent as clear plastic sheeting was placed over the mural not long after it appeared.

Visitors flocked to admire the stencil-style “guerrilla” art when it arrived last month and Shepway District Council said it would work with the owner of the building to ensure it remained undamaged.

The Banksy website also showed pictures of the wall before and after the artwork appeared and claimed the image is “Part Of The Folkestone Triennial. Kind Of”.

The triennial is a two-month long showcase of art in the resort, which has attracted the likes of Yoko Ono, widow of the late Beatle John Lennon.

The event gained headlines at this year’s launch when Berlin-based artist Michael Sailstorfer sparked a stampede when he hid 30 bars of 24-carat gold, worth £10,000, on Folkestone beach.