Environment & Climate

Wildfire-hit Welsh residents remove Greenpeace mural from scorched mountain

Locals raked away a 1,120-square-meter protest artwork of Andy Burnham on a Conwy hillside, calling it disrespectful following a major July wildfire.

Updated Aug 24, 2026 · 00:32 UTC1 reports

The short version

Residents in Capelulo, Conwy, removed a large Greenpeace mural painted onto a mountainside scorched by a July wildfire.
Local walkers used rakes to break up the water-based paint, characterizing the installation as disrespectful and intrusive to a grieving community.
Greenpeace defended the project, stating the temporary paint was environmentally safe and aimed to highlight the climate crisis driving extreme weather.
Some residue remains on the site after residents broke up the baked paint into the soil.

Greenpeace created a 1,120-square-meter mural in Capelulo, Conwy, depicting Prime Minister Andy Burnham holding an oil drum alongside the text 'Our house is on fire Andy.'[BBC News]
The artwork was placed on a hillside affected by a July wildfire that burned roughly 200 acres, forced the evacuation of 36 homes, and triggered a major incident declaration.[BBC News]
Local residents Allie Evans and Dean Ward dismantled the installation by raking the paint into the soil to prevent foot traffic and damage to the landscape.[BBC News]
Greenpeace UK co-executive director Areeba Hamid stated that the installation used temporary, turf-safe water-based paint on an area where vegetation had already been incinerated.[BBC News]
Senedd member Janet Finch-Saunders criticized the installation as environmental vandalism, arguing burned hillsides should not serve as canvases for political messaging.[BBC News]

The long-term visibility or soil impact of the remaining paint residue on the hillside is not yet clear.[BBC News]