A Banksy mural was painted over by council in Clacton-on-Sea, in Essex, a week ahead of a byelection in the town, according to The Guardian.

The graffiti was considered racist and offensive by the council.

It showed five gray pigeons, holding up signs, some of which said things like, "go back to Africa" and "migrants not welcome."

The UKIP political party, which recently gained a new member when MP Douglas Carswell defected to the party, argues that Britain's immigration policies are too lax.

"The site was inspected by staff who agreed that it could be seen as offensive and it was removed this morning in line with our policy to remove this type of material within 48 hours," said Nigel Brown, communications manager for Tendring district council.

The council allegedly did not realize it was a Banksy work, whose identity is not widely known but whose works have sold for at least six figures, The Guardian reported.

Banksy confirmed it was his work on his website, and it was the second artwork in the area dealing with immigration last week.

While Brown acknowledged that it was a valuable piece of art, he said the move was not made to specifically malign Banksy. He told CNN he would welcome the graffiti artist if he created something that was more suitable for a seaside resort.

On Tuesday a piece called Art Buff appeared on a wall in Folkestone, Kent, which is another part of Britain where immigration is a hot political topic, The Guardian reported.

The mural that was painted over was valued at $740,000, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Despite being a graffiti artist based in the U.K., Banksy's work has been spotted in other countries.