New Banksy Mural Painted Overnight in Folkestone, Kent

A new Banksy called Art Buff has appeared on the side of an amusement arcade in Folkestone, Kent.

Since its discovery on Sunday, the mural, which is of an elderly lady wearing headphones observing an empty plinth, has been covered with a protective plastic sheet to deter rival street artists from tagging it.

The owners of the arcade have employed a security guard to keep watch on the stencil, which, according to the elusive street artist's website is "Part Of The Folkestone Triennial. Kind Of".

The Folkestone Triennial is a two-month long outdoor public art exhibition that has so far welcomed Yoko Ono, the wife of former Beatle John Lennon, and saw artist Michael Sailstorfer bury 30 bars of 24-carat gold, worth £10,000, beneath the town's beach.

Earlier this year fans were expected to pocket massive windfalls when Banksy pieces they had bought for as little as $60 (£37) were estimated to sell for up to $95,000 (£58,500).

Last the artist - whose identity remains unknown - brought parts of New York to a standstill during a one-month 'residency' in the city.

He made one piece of art for each day of the month and created such a stir that owners of buildings where the stencils were sprayed charged tourists to view them.