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Chris, Alex, Karl and Rory with the possible Banksy graffiti on the bus shelter

Graffiti artist Banksy may have sprayed one of his signature stencils in Chippenham.

But now company bosses are getting ready to remove it.

The picture of a Hawaiian woman holding a machine gun was spotted on a bus shelter on Marshfield Road on Thursday morning.

The company which owns and maintain the bus shelter, Adshel, has said it will remove the image. A spokesman said: "We remove any graffiti on any of our street furniture or bus shelters regardless of what it is.

"I have never heard of a preservation order on a piece of graffiti and, until we do, the image will be removed."

The sighting has excited fans and art enthusiasts across the country who think the image could be genuine.

Keith Reay, who works for Bristol-based Graffiti Images, said: "I really like the image but I'm not totally sure if it is a Banksy.

"The main problem is that he stopped signing his work several years ago and so you can't ever be 100 per cent sure either way.

"I'd say it is definitely Banksy-inspired if it is not the real thing and this is a good way to get a preservation order on it.

"I wish I had a magical line to the man himself so we could ask him directly."

The Bristol-born artist shot to fame in the late 1990s when he started spraying controversial images on public walls.

He never identifies himself and speculation has mounted over the years about his precise identity.

The sale of a house in Bristol recently fell through when the potential owners said they would erase the Banksy image of a man hanging out of a window from the exterior wall.

The image is preserved which means the house is sold as a piece of art with a building attached to it.

Shop assistant Rachel Wright, 32, was one of the first people to notice the image in Chippenham.

She said: "I was excited and thought it was Banksy because I have seen some of his work in Bristol. I thought it looked good and not like your usual offensive graffiti.

"The image is really detailed and it must have taken a long time to create. I walk along Marshfield Road most days and so it really stuck out when I saw it on Thursday.

"I think the people of Chippenham should be proud of it and see it as a piece of art. It should be preserved for everyone to see."

A spokesman for the Art of the State website which deals with Banksy artwork said: "It's a nice stencil. But, typically, Banksy does things at least life size with a view to making them appear to be part of the street scene."

10:27am Thursday 7th February 2008

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