Burglar in hazmat suit with drill caught trying to steal hospital's £5m Banksy artwork

A burglar "brandishing a cordless drill" and wearing a hazmat suit allegedly tried to pinch a pandemic-inspired Banksy artwork worth £5 million from a hospital.

The Sun reports security staff tracked the man - who walked "past the picture at least five times" - on Southampton General Hospital's CCTV in the early hours.

Having consulted with a supervisor, the guards then turfed the man out.

The piece, entitled 'Game Changer', was created by the famous artist during lockdown - with the foiled incident said to have taken place on May 8, just days after it was donated.

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It depicts a boy dressed in dungarees playing with a nurse superhero toy, with figures of Batman and Spiderman in a waste paper basket on the floor.

The nurse, wearing a cape, face mask and a white apron featuring a red cross, has her arm raised as if she is flying.

A source told The Sun: “The man just walked in brandishing a cordless drill. Security spotted him and asked a supervisor if they should stop him.

"They were told to watch him and he was seen walking past the picture at least five times, clearly having a good look.

“Security stepped in and he was removed.”

"Thanks for all you're doing," Banksy said in a note left with the piece. "I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if its only black and white."

After lockdown, it will then be auctioned to raise money for NHS charities, a spokeswoman for Banksy confirmed - with another of his creations having sold for £9.9million in December.

A hospital spokesman told the Sun the attempted theft had been foiled and that police were not called.

The hospital previously paid tribute to members of staff Mike Brown, 61, and Katy Davis, 38, who both died after testing positive for  coronavirus.

In April, Banksy took street art to his home, creating a series of rats causing mayhem in his bathroom.

The elusive artist posted a set of five images to  Instagram  with the caption: "My wife hates it when I work from home."

Later in April, a large face mask was placed over one of Banksy's pieces in Bristol - his world-famous The Girl with the Pierced Eardrum.