A graffiti artist hopes his painting of Sir David Attenborough on a coastal wall will prompt beachgoers to stop leaving their rubbish by the sea.

Painter Paddy Watts sprayed the 20ft-tall picture of the famous environmentalist close to Margate lido over three days, completing his piece on Sunday.

The 46-year-old from Medway wants the mural to convince greater numbers of sunseekers to dispose of their rubbish in bins.

“The mural’s about plastic and pollution and how we produce waste without any regard for what we do with it,” Mr Watts said.

“We’re running out of time. That is scary.

“When I finished the work on Sunday, the beach was packed and people were still leaving rubbish all over the place.

“If the mural makes a difference to a few people and they start to use the bin, then it’s a positive thing.”

The image shows Sir David with an hourglass running short of sand in one hand and a plastic bottle, with the word “naïve” emblazoned across its middle, in the other.

It is accompanied by quotes attributed to the veteran broadcaster and Mr Watts warning of the dangers associated with failing to care of the environment.

“Sir David Attenborough is everybody’s hero. He’s the biggest ambassador on pollution issues,” Mr Watts continued.

“I got a warm reaction from everyone I spoke to about it – there was no negativity at all.

“I’ll do something else on the Kent coast. It’ll be spectacular.”

Mr Watts says he decided to paint the mural along the coast without receiving the green light from Thanet District Council or a relevant landowner.

The local authority has been approached for comment.

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