A new mural by celebrated street artist Banksy has appeared - and been hastily covered up - in Knightsbridge.

The piece of art, which makes reference to the treatment of refugees in a camp in the French port of Calais, appeared on a temporary structure being developed by Cheval Property Management, on January 23.

It depicts the girl from the famous poster of Les Misérables, with eyes watering, as CS gas wafts into her face from a can on the floor, and was created opposite the French Embassy on the junction of William Street.

Beside the mural is a QR code which when scanned with a smart phone takes the user to a YouTube video of a police raid of the refugee camp, known as the Jungle.

According to the Guardian paper, the video shows French authorities using tear gas, concussion grenades and rubber bullets during a raid earlier in January.

The mural appeared on the corner of a large complex which is being developed into homes and retail space. The following day police were on the scene.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “We were called at 8.45pm on Sunday, 24 January to reports of a number of men attempting to remove a piece of artwork from the wall of a disused premises in Knightsbridge at the junction with William Street.

“Officers attended but men had fled the scene. No arrests have been made.”

Cheval Property Management Limited director Mike Sadler said the mural had been covered for its own preservation, and the firm was in discussions over the future plans of the artwork.

It is thought to be the first time the world renowned guerrilla artist has created an interactive art piece using a QR code.

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It is not the first time Banksy has turned his attention to the crisis across the Chanel. Last year he created a mural featuring Apple founder Steve Jobs, who was the son of a Syrian migrant.

The Jungle is home to around 6,000 migrants, mainly from Afghanistan, Syria and Eritrea.

The French Embassy said it had no comment on the Banksy piece at this time.