IN PICTURES: Art or vandalism? Portlaoise 'Pancake' pops up around Laois town

Portlaoise people cannot have failed to notice the goofy alien characters that are popping up on hoarding and walls all around the town.

The grafitti, occasionally signed Pancake, is in at least six locations around the Laois town, all appearing within the past year.

While mostly on boards of vacant buildings, the characters are also adorning a wall in Pepper's Lane, and an ESB box on Mill View, where it seems to take inspiration from the nearby stone Fort Protector walls.

Now the local Tidy Towns are inviting the artist to get in touch about official work.

Portlaoise Tidy Towns chairperson Vincent Booth spoke to the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

"Downtown Portlaoise have a contract to get rid of written graffiti and we recently did so on a wall near Fitzmaurice Place.

"While not condoning it, this is not as bad as written graffiti, I wouldn't be too outraged. There's worse out there. It's nice and funky. It seems to be popping up everywhere.

"We would like the artist to reach out and collaborate with us, and offer them a role. We are looking for murals. We do like street art as long as it is structured and in keeping with the area. If it's on someone's property that's different," Mr Booth said.