Season’s Greetings, a comment on the impact of pollution on communities, appeared on the outside of steelworker Ian Lewis’s private garage in Taibach, Port Talbot, on 19 December 2018.

The mural depicts a child enjoying what he thinks is snow on one side, while the other half reveals it is actually ash from a bin fire.

Local dealer John Brandler then bought the artwork and removed the walls to an empty shop unit in the town.

But an agreement to keep it there has expired and Mr Brandler will now move the artwork out of Wales to an undisclosed location.

Mr Brandler said: “Since Season’s Greetings appeared three years ago, fanatics have tried to destroy this amazing piece of art. We’re moving it to preserve it for future generations, where it can be seen and enjoyed, but not vandalised.”

London firm Egg Group now has the responsibility of relocating it to a temporary secured undisclosed storage unit, where it will remain until it can be “freed by the Banksy Preservation Society”, which plans to raise money to safeguard its future in a gallery or museum.

The work was removed yesterday in one piece after being encased in a specially designed shell, made by the Egg Group, and transported to a temporary storage facility.

Egg Group executive chairman John Frankiewicz, said: “As a design and build company with a fresh approach, Egg Group identifies with Banksy’s mischief and the disruptive impact of his artwork; making the art sector more engaging and better as a result. The writing was on the wall for this important piece of art, so we stepped in with a creative solution and designed a protective eggshell enabling Banksy’s Season’s Greetings to be returned to the public safely.”