A new mural by a well-known urban artist has been trashed by graffiti yobs – ONE DAY after it was completed.
Horrified locals woke up to discover spray paint all over Mohammed Ali’s work of art, which sits outside the old Meteor Ford site, off St Mary’s Row, Moseley.
The mural was daubed with the word ‘Tesco’ – a reference to the supermarket giant that planned to turn the site into a store.
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Earlier this year, the company confirmed it was pulling out and was working with the council and community groups to market the site.
Boards were erected around the site and local groups asked street artist Mohammed to brighten the area with a mural, depicting a tree’s life through four seasons.
Mohammed, 35, said he wanted his creation to reflect “Moseley in Bloom” and was shocked when he heard it had been attacked.
Mr Ali said: “I got knocked down and will get up again. It’s disappointing but I’m ready to deal with it.
“I’m not going to let anything dampen my spirits.”
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Jill Adams, from Moseley Forum and Farmers Market, said: “We wanted to cheer up the area. Now we have got graffiti all over it, obviously it’s someone who doesn’t know that Tesco is not going to be here anymore.”
Tony Thapar, from Moseley Community Development Trust, said: “It was only finished last Tuesday and we were going to put up a sign explaining who was behind the artwork and how we worked together to create it. It’s very sad.”
Councillor Martin Straker-Welds (Lab Moseley and Kings Heath) said he fell in love with the mural because it was “very much in the spirit of the living landscape”.
He said: “It’s a piece of community art and everybody likes it. We are determined not to let it be spoiled. Mohammed has painted all over the world. We will work with him to restore it to its previous splendour.”