A mystery artist has been leaving thought-provoking pieces across a seaside town as coronavirus restrictions are relaxed.

Diss Mercury: Art work about the coronavirus lockdown has been appearing around Cromer. Picture: ArtistArt work about the coronavirus lockdown has been appearing around Cromer. Picture: Artist (Image: Archant)

Messages have been appearing around Cromer with messages of “so you can clap but you can’t just stay inside?” and “30,000 dead & you’re having a picnic?”.

The pieces can be found on the Esplanade, near the Red Lion pub, on the Promenade, near North Lodge Park, and another near the Henry Blogg Museum.

The artist said: “I live in the town and every time the weather would get good there would be this huge influx of visitors to the town.

“I don’t have a garden so my only way of exercise has been on the beach but when town visitors increased it became difficult to use the spaces.

Diss Mercury: Art work about the coronavirus lockdown has been appearing around Cromer. Picture: ArtistArt work about the coronavirus lockdown has been appearing around Cromer. Picture: Artist (Image: Archant)

“All my work is politically based so I wasn’t shy about making a statement with the work but my main aim was to get different responses from people.

“I have found it funny seeing the demographics where I have touched a nerve. I was looking at who was responding in support tend to be more young people and the ones who were getting angry seem to be a lot older.”

The works were painted onto paper at the artist’s home before using flour and water to paste it to the walls.

They said: “I find it funny how there has been a consistent assumption that the artist is a boy, with posts saying ‘he’ but there is nothing to base it on.

Diss Mercury: Art work about the coronavirus lockdown has been appearing around Cromer. Picture: ArtistArt work about the coronavirus lockdown has been appearing around Cromer. Picture: Artist (Image: Archant)

“There is nothing there to show who it could be.

“I like the angry comments because they say it’s ironic as I have put them up during the lockdown but I installed them in the early hours of the morning on my own. It was before the lockdown was lifted too.

“I’ve enjoyed watching the debates, the whole thing is I wanted to get public criticism of it, and the arguments have given me a complete discussion of the work and as they didn’t know who it was they aren’t holding back either.”