Daring Banksy robbery captured by CCTV film

Detectives released a CCTV image today of a man and a woman who smashed their way into an art gallery and stole Banksy prints worth more than £16,000.

The casually-dressed duo used a street sign to break a window and force their way into Art Republic, in New Compton Street, central London.

CCTV cameras caught the man entering the shop and grabbing two prints while the woman remained in the street acting as a look-out. They then made off on foot.

They stole two limited edition prints, both numbered and signed by the artist, which were mounted in glass frames and measured about 3ft by 4ft.

The first print, a brightly-coloured image of military helicopters, some adorned with a pink bow and titled Happy Choppers, was on sale for £8,750.

The second print, known as Nola (Grey Rain), showing a young girl sheltering under an umbrella from which rain is falling, was on sale for £7,700.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the pair made off eastwards along High Holburn, heading towards Drury Lane after the raid at 4am on Saturday May 1.

Both suspects were described as white and aged between 30 and 40. The man wore a white long-sleeved tracksuit and a dark blue baseball cap. The woman had shoulder-length blonde hair.

It is not the first time Banksy prints have been targeted by thieves. Ten prints worth about £10,000 were stolen from a branch of Art Republic in Brighton in 2007.

The help of the Metropolitan Police may amuse the secretive artist whose graffiti, street art and prints are popular worldwide and fetch huge prices.

The back cover of his book Wall And Piece includes a quote from a Met spokesman saying: "There's no way you're going to get a quote from us to use on your book cover."

* Anyone with information should call Camden CID on 020 8733 6905 or to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.