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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Stephen Topping

Greater Manchester's own 'Banksy' is back... and wants to make you 'stop and think'

His work has been the talk of Tameside since it suddenly appeared over the weekend.

The arrival of two new pieces of street art in Stalybridge and Hyde immediately led to chatter on social media about whether Banksy had hit the borough.

But the real artist behind both works is starting to make his own name in Greater Manchester.

READ MORE: Heartbroken family urge police to act over dad-of-two's unlawful killing following inquest jury's conclusion

The mysterious Mr Eggs is the man behind several eye-catching pieces of street art around the region - including his latest two additions in Tameside.

With more than 1,300 followers on Instagram and prints of his work being sold by Withington Walls, the Salford artist is starting to gain a following of his own.

And some Facebook users were quick to recognise Mr Eggs as the man behind the street art.

He told the Manchester Evening News : "It’s always flattering to be compared to others, but better to be recognised in your own right.

"That does seem to be starting to happen."

Mr Eggs' latest pieces of work include a child stuck inside a bright pink donut, painted on a wall near the Pattern House apartments on Castle Street, in Stalybridge.

He says the inspiration behind it is the issue of obesity and how it has affected young people in the pandemic.

Mr Eggs' piece in Stalybridge (Manchester Evening News)

Mr Eggs said: "Getting into bad eating habits, staying home. It’s hard to shake off.

"All the mask wearing in school and out and about and so many activities cancelled. Winter storms and the return of some restrictions are not helping.

"Eating c*** has been normalised, and the pink represents branding and how these dessert and junk food shops are popping up and marketing themselves at children."

Meanwhile, another artwork has popped up on Castle Street, in Hyde, off Commercial Brow.

Called 'Trouble in Toy Town', it features an angry looking Noddy with his car left on bricks.

Trouble in Toy Town (Mr Eggs)

"Car crime and aggression towards motorists was behind this one and the conflict between competing interests," said Mr Eggs.

"On the one hand we have Noddy - could be any of us - parking up and going about his business.

"Suddenly parking on a public street has become an issue, parking charges in our towns are killing businesses and Hyde is typical.

"So people park in other places and suddenly everyone has an opinion - incomes have been squeezed and people are looking to cut costs.

"The bricked-up is a reference to car crime. I know from friends in Tameside it’s a problem that’s on the rise, and here in Salford is the same.

"Too many people driving as if they are on a race track. Too many without insurance and driving off leaving the scene of accidents.

"I just wanted people to stop and think about the person dealing with the aftermath of the crime."

See Mr Eggs on Instagram here.

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