Hollywood star Michael Sheen pays thousands of pounds to protect new Banksy artwork painted in his hometown of Port Talbot
- Banksy’s Season’s Greetings mural appeared on a garage in Port Talbot this week
- Frost/Nixon star Sheen, 49, has promised to foot the security and legal bill
- A screen was erected in front of the wall on Saturday amid huge tourist interest
Hollywood star Michael Sheen has paid thousands of pounds to help protect the latest Banksy artwork – which was painted in the actor’s home town.
The Season’s Greetings graffiti mural appeared overnight on a garage wall in the Taibach district of Port Talbot, South Wales, and has been under 24-hour guard from volunteers.
But Frost/Nixon star Sheen, 49, has said he will help foot the bill for security, legal and other costs to protect the work.
People view new work by the artist Banksy that appeared during the week on the walls of a garage in Port Talbot, Britain December 22
A spokesman for Sheen said the actor wanted to ensure the financial burden did not fall on the garage owner Ian Lewis. The first cost will be to erect protective plastic sheeting – which Sheen is funding.
Steelworker Mr Lewis, 55, said: ‘I am very pleased. I think it is a smashing bit of artwork.
‘It is good for the town and I just want to protect it, and it is here for everybody.’
More than 4,000 art lovers are expected to have visited the Taibach site just off the M4 which overlooks the town’s towering steelworks by the end of the weekend.
The Seasons Greetings graffiti mural appeared overnight on a garage wall in Port Talbot, South Wales and has been under 24 hour guard from volunteers. But Frost/Nixon star Michael Sheen, 49, has said he will help foot the bill for security, legal bills and other costs to protect the work