BanksyRat02, originally uploaded by websitesarelovely.

I wondered why this image got so many views yesterday...

Where Banksy is involved, there usually are no accidents, but it truly does appear to have been an accident that a street-cleaning crew in Melbourne, Australia, painted over a mural by that graffiti artist and provocateur. The Associated Press reported that Susan Riley, the deputy lord mayor of Melbourne, dispatched street cleaners to Hosier Lane there after residents complained about squalid conditions in an alley known for its displays of public art. Among the works was a stencil of a goggle-wearing rat created by Banksy during a visit to Melbourne in 2003 — and removed by the crew, which was instructed to eliminate all graffiti from the area. In an interview on Australian radio Kathy Alexander, the chief executive of the city, said, “Unfortunately the contractors were not made aware by us that that was an important piece, and unfortunately that means the piece is gone.”

Source: http://www.nytimes.com