The artist and serial prankster Maurizio Cattelan denies stealing 18-carat loo entitled America from Blenheim Palace

The artist who made a solid gold toilet reportedly worth £4.8m has denied orchestrating its theft in a Banksy-style prank.

The 18-carat working loo was ripped from a wood-panelled room at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, in the early hours of Saturday.