A charity which had hoped to cash in on a 'Banksy' daubed on the side of its building has had its hopes dashed.

Staff at Catching Lives in Station Road East, Canterbury, found the black-and-white artwork on their building when they arrived for work this morning. It depicts two children reaching up to a pig being carried aloft by colourful balloons.

Although unsigned, it bears a strong resemblance to the work of Banksy, whose pieces which fetch hundreds of thousands of pounds and have been bought by celebrities including Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

But this evening local artist Catman took to Facebook to claim credit for the work. He said: "Finally got around to painting Pigs Might Fly last night."

Referring to an earlier version of this story questioning whether it was a Banksy, he simply posted: 'Afraid not.'

Chairman of the trustees of Catching Lives, James Duff had earlier said: “It just appeared overnight but must have taken a bit of time to complete because it looks a very skilled piece of work.

“It is causing quite a bit of excitement here as you can imagine because it so closely resembles Banksy’s work.

“I’m not sure what message it is telling with the children and flying pig but it looks pretty permanent and I just hope it doesn't get defaced. It certainly brightens up the building.

“It would be amazing if it turned out to be a Banksy and we could somehow sell it for the charity.

“But for now we hope that anyone passing by and admiring it might pop in and perhaps donate a couple of quid.”

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