Mystery surrounds a new stencilled ‘Banksy’ artwork on Romney Marsh - and a woman with three coats seen staring at it.

Staff at Sotorio’s 103 in Greatstone have been taken aback by the 2ft stencil of a boy on the restaurants’s rear garage wall.

The venue’s owner has even suggested it could be the work of celebrated graffiti artist Banksy.

The figure is 7in to 8in off the ground and next to a blackboard menu.

The restaurant and cabaret venue, at Coast Drive, was closed on Sunday evening and staff did not see the image until the premises were reopened yesterday morning.

Owner Costas Sotirou explained: “It was on the wall of a pretty out of the way part of the building so we didn’t notice it straight away.

“My staff think it looks like a real Banksy and are very excited. I wouldn’t be able to tell but it’s possible it’s genuine and it was smudged by the rain as we get a lot of bad weather down here.

“It is known that Banksy does come back a couple of days later to finish a job.”

The workers were also puzzled when they came across a woman with three coats staring at the artwork late yesterday afternoon.

Mr Sotiriou said: “It was about 5pm when this woman wearing an orange parka was standing and staring at it. It was strange that she had found it so easily and she parked her car where there are no marked spaces.

“She was also looking at it in the dark.

“My staff went to find out what she was doing and as they arrived she took a blue coat from the boot and put it over the orange one. She told them she was just having a fag.

“She then moved her car slightly and then my staff went into the restaurant to come back with a torch to check to see if she had done anything to the artwork.

“As they came back she took off the blue coat and replaced it with a dark one and drove off. It was all very bizarre.”

Do you know the story behind the artwork? Get in touch by emailing kentishexpress@thekmgroup.co.uk