Bus Shelter Banksy baffles Somerset village

A rural bus shelter has become a centre of intrigue after it was targeted by a guerilla artist who appears to be using it to make a bizarre statement about fly-tipping.

The Bus Shelter Banksy seems to have waded into a row over bags of rubbish being dumped inside the stone building at Culmhead Crossroads, in the Blackdown Hills, after Otterford Parish Council raised the issue of fly-tipping in the area.

Taunton Deane Borough councillor John Thorne, who represents the Blackdown ward for the Conservatives, received a report from parish councillors about the problem.

Parish clerk Barbara Simpson said the black sacks of waste were making it impossible for passengers to use the shelter when weather was poor.

Mr Thorne alerted Deane council's environmental health team and went to see the problem for himself, but was left baffled by what he found.

The shelter was cleared and lined with silver foil. A selection of clothes were hanging from a newly installed rail, as if transforming the shelter into a walk-in wardrobe.

Mr Thorne said: "I wondered if perhaps it was something to do with Somerset Arts Week, as it appeared to be some kind of artistic statement, although a little bizarre out in the middle of nowhere."

A sign reading The Changing Room hung outside the shelter and a highways crossroads sign was stuck above the entrance.

Inside was a notice with the words, "I am million different people from one day to the next", – a lyric from indie band The Verve's 1997 hit single Bittersweet Symphony.

But the renegade artist's impromptu exhibition was cut short when council officials came to clear the shelter.

"I spoke to somebody at Somerset Arts Week and they had absolutely no knowledge of it," said Mr Thorne.

"At this point, the bus shelter was clean and tidy and fit for use again, so I left it at that."

But on Friday, the phantom artist returned – along with the rubbish.

The shelter was strewn with black bin liners and carrier bags crammed with empty cans of lager and cardboard, while three signs on white boards were posted on the outside, reading "rubbish", "art", and "rubbish".

"I am sure that whoever the artist is, they were not responsible for the rubbish in the first place and it may be that they actually cleaned it up before embarking on 'The Changing Room project'," said Mr Thorne.

The village is keen to lift the lid on the anonymous artist and Mr Throne is appealing for the perpetrator to contact him.

"The signs are in exactly the same style as The Changing Room signs, which makes me think that it is the same person," he said.

"I do not mind admitting that I am culturally challenged, and therefore whatever artistic statement they may be making goes over my head.

"It is all rather bizarre, and I would like to know why this is happening."