Street artist Banksy has claimed a new artwork which appears to highlight the issue of domestic violence.

The painting, which has appeared on the side of a building in Margate, Kent, shows a 1950s housewife, wearing a classic blue pinny apron and yellow washing-up gloves.

She has a swollen eye and a missing tooth and appears to have shoved her male partner into a chest freezer.

Banksy confirmed the artwork as his own on Instagram, posting several images of the painting, including two close-ups of the woman’s face.

The elusive artist captioned the piece “Valentine’s day mascara”.

It also features rubbish on the ground in front of the painting, including a broken white garden chair, a blue crate and an empty beer bottle.

Speculation about the post has suggested the Bristol-born artist is referencing fighting violence against women on Valentine’s Day.

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Banksy’s work can sell for millions of pounds on the art market.

In December, the anonymous graffiti artist announced he had created 50 screen-prints which would be sold to raise funds for a charity supporting the people of Ukraine.

Banksy previously confirmed he had spent time in Ukraine after posting a video of an artist spray-painting designs in the war-torn country and speaking to locals.

One of his biggest projects was Dismaland, a dystopian theme park in Weston-super-Mare back in 2015.