A PIECE of artwork that could be the work of the world-famous graffiti artist Banksy has been discovered in East Lancashire.

The image of a masked rat, chipping away at a hole with a hammer and chisel, was found on a telephone exchange box in Accrington Road, Burnley by Nick Hartshorne-Evans.

But experts are divided over whether it the graffiti is actually the real thing and his spokeswoman would neither confirm or deny he had done the work.

Nick, 40, of Hapton, said he thought it looked like one of the designs created by the mysterious British graffiti artist, whose identity, age and location is unknown.

He said: “I reckon, although I don't know for sure, that it's a real Banksy.

“I was coming back from Burnley in my car when I saw it, I did a bit of a double take. I got home and thought 'that was surreal'.

“So I went back to have a look because I wanted to take a photo of it to tweet, to get people's opinions.”

Banksy's satirical and politically-charged street art has appeared on walls, buildings and bridges in cities across the world, from his suspected home town of Bristol to London and New York, and even adorned Israel's controversial West Bank barrier.

He often uses stencils, featuring striking and humorous images, occasionally combined with slogans.

The message is usually anti-war, anti-capitalist or anti-establishment and his subjects often include rats, apes, policemen, soldiers, children and the elderly.

Fine artist and former Blackburn College student, Susan Farrow, said it was unlikely that this was a genuine Banksy, as there are many imitations.

She said: “Banksy’s work is usually controversial or political, and built up using layers of stencils whereas imitations may only use one, which is reflected in the lack of detail.

“He also chooses high profile locations for maximum impact. I’m not sure an electricity box in Burnley would fit the bill!”

Jo Brooks Public Relations, which represents Banksy, was unable to confirm or deny whether the artwork had in fact been created by the acclaimed artist.

However, Nick, an IT management consultant, said that without an admission from Banksy himself, the authenticity of any work attributed to him could not be proved.

He said: “I'm sure pessimistic individuals would say 'why there?' or 'why Burnley?', but why anywhere?

“How good would it be for East Lancashire if it was real?”