Mysterious graffiti artist Banksy is a 34-year-old former public school pupil called Robin Gunningham, The Mail On Sunday has claimed.

The paper says it has identified the "guerrilla artist" from a photograph taken four years ago in Jamaica, which shows a man kneeling by a spray can.

But a spokeswoman for Banksy refused to comment on the report. "We get these calls all the time," she told the BBC. "I'll say what I always say: I never confirm or deny these stories".

Banksy's stencilled artwork appears unannounced in public spaces around the world.

His fiercely-guarded identity only adds to his subversive appeal - and members of the Hollywood elite including Christina Aguilera and Angelina Jolie have snapped up his paintings.

The only solid biographical fact about the artist is that he was born and raised in Bristol.