A popular mural of one of Britain’s greatest wartime leaders has been deface by graffiti for the second time.

The portrait of Winston Churchill is considered by many to brighten up the stretch of Blackstock Road, in Finsbury Park, it adorns.

But in the past few days it has been defaced by vandals – to the disgust of at least one resident. David Churchill, who lives nearby, said: “It’s one of my favourite Finsbury Park murals and it’s nice to walk past it on the way to work. Now it has been defaced with the words “scum” and “imperialist”.

Last month it was defaced with the word “warmonger”. Who would do that?

“I think the phrase they are looking for is war hero, not warmonger. It’s an outrage.”