Second arrest after Banksy street art stop sign removed from pole

A second person has been arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage after a Banksy artwork was removed from a pole in south-east London.

The piece of street art, which is a traffic stop sign covered with three aircraft resembling military drones, was revealed at the intersection of Southampton Way and Commercial Way in Peckham at midday on Friday.

Witnesses later saw the sign being removed by a man with bolt cutters less than an hour after Banksy confirmed it was genuine by posting a photo on social media.

Photos from the scene show a man wearing a red and black jacket using a Lime hire bicycle to prop himself up, with one foot on the saddle and the other on the handle bars, while another man holds the bike steady against the pole.

A further image shows the man in red and black running in front of a white van with the stop sign after managing to remove it.

On Saturday, a man in his 20s was arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage and later released on bail as the force conducts further inquiries until a date in mid-March.

A man in his 40s was arrested on the same charges today (Sunday 24 December) and remains in police custody.

A regular stop sign has since been installed to avoid endangering road users at the intersection, police confirmed.

A spokesperson added: "This incident is currently being investigated by officers from the Met's central south CID.

"We are aware of footage being shared which shows the sign being removed.

"Anyone who may have information about the incident or the whereabouts of the sign is asked to call police."

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