A world expert on Banksy artwork has hit out at the loss of an "amazing gift" for a coastal town.
Prominent modern art dealer John Brandler described the removal of the world-famous graffiti artist's seagull installation as a real shame for Lowestoft.
The artwork that originally showcased a seagull swooping down to steal some polystyrene chips from a skip below was removed from the side of a privately-owned block of flats on Katwijk Way in Lowestoft late on Tuesday evening.
Mr Brandler, a private art dealer from Brentwood, Essex, said: "Banksy gave the town the most amazing gift and basically that has been lost."
Of the estimated cost of the artwork, he added: "It has to be worth seven figures - between £1m to £3m."
Mr Brandler - who has previously approached the council and had spoken about creating a street art museum of all the Banksy pieces on the east coast as and added attraction to promote visitor numbers in Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth - had described the loss of the first Banksy artwork in Lowestoft as "a missed golden opportunity for the town."
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