The mural of England footballers Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers outside the Classic Fryer chip shop in Quinton has been badly defaced with white paint, prompting the artist to promise a return with something "bigger, better".
The artwork, which has adorned the wall of the chip shop on Hagley Road West on the Birmingham/Black Country border since July, was vandalised over the weekend. The mural depicts the two Black Country stars in England kits eating the regional staple orange chips.
Artist responds after damage discovered
Dudley artist Dion Kitson, who created the mural, spotted the damage and shared a photo on Instagram, writing: "Sadly, the mural, enjoyed locally, nationally and internationally was vandalised this weekend. This is why we can't have nice things… CCTV." He added: "What do you reckon? should I come back with something bigger, better, more orange and even chippier?"
Bellingham, who was positioned next to Rogers in the mural, appears to have been the worst targeted. A special touch under the badge on his shirt referencing his birthplace, Stourbridge, has been wiped out, along with a Black Country flag underneath.
Community reaction and support
The post received a huge response from the community, including from the chip shop itself, which said it was "heartbreaking" to see the art destroyed. The Classic Fryer responded: "This mural meant so much to our community. It brought smiles to so many people for so long, and it's heartbreaking to see someone destroy it. Some things are bigger than one person's jealousy."
Others also expressed their frustration. Brownytri wrote: "This is so sad! I mean, what's the f****** point of doing that?!?! Definitely go bigger!!!! Can't wait to see what it is (everyday as I go by!)." andrewjohnaston agreed: "Terrible. I enjoy seeing this on my drive through Quinton every Saturday…such a great mural..bigger and better is definitely the way to go!"
splitbattencarpentry commented: "How do we or will we ever teach younger generations to have respect for certain things, to leave things/areas to be able to be enjoyed by the public?" Gerags99 said: "Disgusting, but it was great while it lasted" and Drwba added: "Go bigger in the Black Country. I want to see an orange chip the size of the glass cone."
Mural's creation and impact
Speaking previously about the mural, which was created using Photoshop and then printed onto a paste-up poster, Dion said: "I love chips, I love the Black Country, I love Jude and Morgan! No one asked me, I rocked up to the Classic Fryer in Quinton and said I wanna do this mural, the owner didn't hesitate gave me some free chips and 35 minutes later it was up."
He added: "Traffic stopped, people shouted from cars, people love it, people love art." The mural has now been damaged, but the community response suggests a new version could be on the way, with liam.frend sharing: "Have to do the whole wall now surely," and kirstysiviter agreeing: "Bigger and better."
