Artwork 'mistaken for flyposting'

An artist who won permission from a council to brighten up a subway with his work returned the next day to find the same council had torn it all down having mistaken it for flyposting.
The Guardian says Tom Bloor had spent a whole day trying to brighten up Easy Row subway in Birmingham with his artwork, having been given permission to do so by Birmingham City Council.

But when he returned the next day council workmen has just about finished removing it all.
Mr Bloor, who graduated with a fine art degree from Leeds University in 2002, said: "I did pretty much the whole wall. I got there later than I intended the next day, and they were just scraping off the last bits.

"I was pretty horrified. I told them I had permission and they got on the phone to their department."

He added that he had almost been arrested when he admitted he had put the work up.
"It is only due to be in place for six weeks because of the likelihood of it being vandalised," he said. "But I didn't expect it to be vandalised by the city council before I had even finished it."

A spokeswoman for the council, which has recently won a 2.1 million pound lottery grant to help promote urban culture, said: "Someone complained about flyposting in the subway. We have sincerely apologised for the breakdown in communication."

She said Bloor has since resumed work on the subway.