Is THIS Banksy getting into the Christmas spirit? CCTV shows 'elusive artist making festive reindeer mural on Birmingham wall'

• New artwork on brick wall in Birmingham is thought to be the work of Banksy
• The mural shows a homeless man on bench being pulled along in reindeer sleigh
• Crowds have since flocked to the wall outside a train station to take photos
• CCTV footage appears to even allegedly capture the artist working on the mural

A new mural thought to be by Banksy has appeared in Birmingham, with excited locals flocking to the scene.

The reindeer mural, painted on a brick wall in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter appeared over the weekend and is designed to draw attention to homelessness.

A video posted on Banksy's Instagram page said: 'God bless Birmingham.'

It shows a homeless man named Ryan having a drink before lying down on the bench, as the camera pans out.

It continues: 'In the 20 minutes we filmed Ryan on this bench passers-by gave him a hot drink, two chocolate bars and a lighter - without him ever asking for anything.' 

After the video was posted, excited fans flocked to the site outside the Jewellery Quarter train station to take photos.

But after several hours, West Midlands Police were forced to erect metal barriers as a matter of 'crowd control' to stop people sitting on the bench.

A spokeswoman for the force said: 'We've been called just to monitor the situation due to the number of people heading down there.

'We are just keeping an eye on the situation. It's more of a crowd control matter.'

A commuter who passed by on her way to work on Friday morning claims she saw a man setting up close to the wall.

She said: 'It was around 7 o'clock on Friday morning when I got off the bus and saw a man giving a few snacks to a homeless man who was sitting on the bench.

'I wouldn't have thought it was Banksy, I just thought it was someone helping out the homeless.'

Jeweler Martin Clarke claims to have seen two workmen early on Friday morning working on the wall, which is directly outside his shop.

He said: 'I saw a small tent with a couple lads in high-vis vests early in the morning on Friday. I thought they were from the council and were just doing a bit of upkeep.

'About half six I looked out the window and the tent had gone as had the lads. Then I saw it.

'I thought it was great. We weren't sure what it was at first or who did it but we had a good idea.'

Michael Knowles added that the new mural will be a welcome boost to the area.

He said: 'I think it's absolutely wonderful for the Jewellery Quarter. It's incredible. When I saw it I was convinced it was a Banksy.'

Phil Simpkin also said that the mural will give local businesses a helping hand ahead of the festive period.

She said: 'It's fantastic for the area and a big boost. Hopefully more people will come to the Jewellery Quarter to see the mural.'