Banksy unveils new art in Birmingham shining a light on homelessness at Christmas

Banksy has dusted off his paint cans to shine a spotlight on homelessness at Christmas.

In a social media post the street artist, who keeps his identity hidden from the public, unveiled his latest mural drawn around a rough sleeper in what is though to be Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter.

In the video posted on Instagram, a homeless man identified as Ryan can be seen having a drink before he arranges his belongings and settles down on a bench for the night.

The camera then pans outs and viewers can see a pair of painted reindeer in the background - ready to take off and pull the bench as if it was a sleigh.

As the man attempts to get some sleep, people can be seen walking past him.

"God bless Birmingham," the post from Banksy's official Instagram account read.

"In the 20 minutes we filmed Ryan on this bench passers-by gave him a hot drink, two chocolate bars and a lighter - without him ever asking for anything."

Mixing fantasy with realism, the artist alludes to the fact that people normally ask Santa for gifts at Christmas, but this urban Father Christmas was in no position to give and needed help from the wider community.

The English painter is famous for his satirical street scenes which usually combine dark humour with underlying social commentary.

The art was unveiled after the Evening Standard launched an ambitious campaign to tackle homelessness in London.

The two-year commitment will see us highlight the worst instances of homelessness globally, and raise money for homeless projects in the capital.