Kent County Council's efforts to persuade an artist to re-design his entry for the "Angel of the South" competition have failed to win over organisers.

County Hall leaders had been lobbying for Kent’s prancing White Horse to become the £2million "Angel of The South" landmark sculpture, to be located in the new Ebbsfleet Valley development.

The council asked Turner Prize winner Mark Wallinger to re-work his own shortlisted entry, a huge model of a standing white horse visible 20 miles away, with this in mind.

But the competition's organisers stepped in to say the shortlist of five will not be changed.

A spokesman for the Ebbsfleet Landmark Project described it as "very positive" that KCC appeared keen to commit itself to commissioning more public art projects, but emphasised there would be no prospect of an eleventh-hour change.