A mural, suspected to be the work of world-famous street artist Banksy, has appeared overnight in Cheltenham. 

It features a number of intelligence agents, dressed in trench coats, trilby hats and sunglasses, spying on a local phone box.

The site lies only a few miles from GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters), the home of Britain's controversial mass surveillance programmes.

Residents claim to have seen a number of men leave the scene at around 7.30am on Sunday, packing a large tarpaulin into their van.

While not yet confirmed by Banksy's official website, the tone and style of the work has many convinced that the enigmatic artist is indeed the culprit. Leading graffiti website Street Art News has said that "this piece has all the Banksy characteristics in narrative, style and execution."

Government surveillance is somewhat of a pet topic for Bansky, as can be seen in some of his earlier confirmed works below.