Banksy's London Works Cost UK Taxpayers Nearly £150,000 in Removal and Security
The UK Ministry of Justice spent more than £85,000 removing a Banksy mural from the wall of the Royal Courts of Justice in London, bringing the total taxpayer bill for the anonymous artist's recent London works to nearly £150,000.
The mural, which appeared on the Grade II-listed building on Carey Street in September 2025, depicted a judge in a traditional wig and black robe striking a demonstrator lying on the ground with a gavel, blood splattering across a placard. Banksy verified the work by captioning it "Royal Courts of Justice: London" on his Instagram account (The Art Newspaper).
HM Courts and Tribunals Service, which manages the building, said the Royal Courts of Justice is a listed building — meaning its historic character is legally protected — and that the service was obliged to restore the wall to its original state. The removal cost £50,000 in paint-stripping work and a further £35,300 in overtime and security costs, according to figures disclosed to the BBC through Freedom of Information requests (BBC News).
The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into the mural. A police spokesperson confirmed to The Art Newspaper on 10 August 2026 that no arrests had been made and the investigation remains ongoing (The Art Newspaper).
A second Banksy work, a statue installed on Waterloo Place in central London in April 2026, added another layer of public cost. The statue shows a suited man carrying a large flag that covers his face, blinding him as he steps halfway off the plinth. Westminster City Council spent almost £60,000 on safety barriers, administration and security for the piece, disclosed through its own Freedom of Information response (BBC News).
Unlike the mural, the statue is staying put for now. A Westminster city council spokesperson said the work will remain in situ for at least a few weeks, with the council due to decide by the end of summer 2026 whether it should become a permanent fixture (The Art Newspaper).
BBC News reported the combined cost across both works at nearly £150,000, covering removal, overtime, security and council expenditure (BBC News).
What makes the figure striking is the contrast between Banksy's reputation as a street artist whose works trade for millions at auction and the reality that, on a public wall, someone has to pay to clean them off — or, as in Westminster, to keep people safe around them. The Royal Courts of Justice mural is gone. The Waterloo Place statue is still standing. Both have left bills for the public purse.
