The painting appeared on the side of a residential building in Finsbury Park, north London, on 18 March.

Set behind a bare tree, it showed a young girl with a pressure hose underneath the bright green paint which made it look as if the tree had leaves again.

After much speculation, the anonymous street artist claimed the mural in an Instagram post, drawing in crowds to see it.

However, not long after its emergence, the mural was defaced after someone threw white paint across it.

Then on Wednesday morning, wooden boards were erected around the painting, and plastic sheeting put in place covering it.

The clear plastic sheeting was installed by the homeowner, according to Islington Council who separately took steps to manage crowds of visitors to the area.

This followed on from "temporary measures" put in place by the local council, including fencing and regular checks from Park Patrol officers.

An Islington Council spokesperson told Sky News: "The Banksy artwork has attracted huge crowds, and there is a need to protect the art and local residents from the impact of visitor numbers.

"The clear plastic and wooden frame over the artwork was installed by the owner of the building, not by the council.

"We've had a lot of concerns from our residents about disruption from the numbers of visitors to the artwork, which is right outside their homes.

"To give people more security and privacy, and to protect the tree, we're installing a hoarding, which will include clear plastic panels to protect the artwork and allow clear views.

"We will monitor and review arrangements at the site, and will continue to explore future solutions with the building owner so people can enjoy the artwork."

They said they were also in the process of installing a CCTV camera.