A man who painted a fake Banksy on a flytipped fridge in a bid to get it removed awoke the next morning to find the door gone but the rest of the fridge still there.
Nick Shaker grew tired of seeing the appliance after it was dumped outside his hair salon three weeks ago. So, the 44-year-old decided to take matters into his own hands.
Using his artistic skills, he painted an image of a girl holding a can of spray paint on the fridge door with the caption “this is art”.
Within 12 hours someone had come along and took the door off its hinges, taking the artwork but leaving the rest of the fridge.
Mr Shaker took inspiration from the appearance of a Banksy in Margate, Kent, that was painted in February.
The artwork depicted a 1950s housewife pushing a man into a fridge-freezer that was propped against the wall.
The day after Banksy claimed responsibility for the work, Thanet District Council removed the freezer, prompting neighbours to add ‘this is art’ signs to nearby fly-tipping in the hope it would also be removed.
Mr Shaker said: “When I remembered the Banksy on the fridge-freezer in Margate I thought ‘hold on’.
“The fact that it was a fridge and it was there - I had to do it.
“I did it on Sunday night, went home, and came back to work the next morning at about 8.30 and the door was gone.”
Thankfully, the hairdresser’s mission was completed when the rest of the fridge was taken away later that same day.
He added: “I was a bit shocked to see the door had been taken but I thought it was funny.
“I thought it was amusing that a piece of old junk was in someone’s garage under the false impression that it was worth a couple of quid.
“The way I see it, I’ve kind of prevented landfill.
“I’ve taken rubbish and made it a bit more appealing.”
The artist, who owns Shakers Hair in Herne Bay, Kent, did not see who dumped the item, or who took it away.
Mr Shaker, who has dubbed himself ‘Herne Bay’s Banksy’, produces commissioned street art alongside his hairdressing job.
He recently created a piece on the side of a shop in the area depicting a girl and different coloured hearts.
To follow Nick’s artwork, he can be found on Instagram at @nickshaker_art.
