Landlord sparks fury by selling Banksy mural 'for £2million' after tearing it off wall

A landlord couple sparked fury after they ripped up a wall with a Banksy mural on and controversially sold it privately for a reported £2million.

The famous graffiti artist's work depicted a child with a crowdbar besides a sandcastle and it appeared on the wall of an old electrical shop in Lowestoft, Suffolk last August.

A couple who owned the building, later tried to quietly remove the artist's work and privately sell it off.

Their actions have sparked anger and disappointment from the town.

Nasima Begum, deputy town mayor, said: "It's a shame that someone has decided to profit off something that wasn't for them.

The entire slab was removed off the wall (Crispin Hook / SWNS)

"I'm sure Banksy didn't put it on there in the hope that someone would profit from it.

"It's a real shame. The Banksy art created such a buzz and attracted so many visitors to the area."

One expert said the mural may have sold for as much as £2million.

The remains after Gary and Nadine Schwartz had removed the Banksy to sell privately (Crispin Hook / SWNS)

The couple - Gary and Nadine Schwartz - were rumoured to have shipped the artwork to the prestigious Julien's Auctions in California, US.

But it has emerged that it never left British soil and has instead been sold to a private buyer for an undisclosed price.

Darren Julien, chief executive of Julien's Auctions, confirmed this week that the piece had been sold privately.

A yellow material handler was seen tearing out part of the wall featuring the grafitti, which was covered with a protective screen and wooden boards (Crispin Hook / SWNS)

He said: "The owner sold the piece out from under us so we will not be offering it. He’s been flakey."

Banksy collector John Brandler said the mural could have sold for £1.5million - £2million at auction and believes that Julien's low guide price - apparently $200,000-$400,000 - had deterred the seller.

Mr Brandler said: "Julien's published such a low estimate that it just wasn't worth the guy's while.

Some reports said the piece sold for £2million but others claimed it was still in storage (Crispin Hook / SWNS)

"It didn't go to the US. It's still in the UK in storage."

Lowestoft residents previously condemned the couple's decision to remove the mural from the wall as "selfish".

On Facebook, resident Brandon Eames described the removal as "stupidity" and "disrespectful".

He wrote: "Now being shipped off to sell at public auction.. This is terrible. Why spend the money to protect it then just take it away..."

Local residents were left furious after the couple took the artwork away (Crispin Hook / SWNS)

Fellow local Matthew Cook said: "Greed, lack of understanding, lack of respect.

"Remove a painted artwork all because who did it... its a joke tbh and should have been allowed. Sets a bad precedent."

Gary Schwartz declined to comment.