MP Charlie Elphicke has slammed animal rights campaigners for projecting "unhelpful" slogans onto the side of a derelict building in the town.

One of the images had the words: Welcome to Dover. UK capital of the cruel live export trade”.

Mr Elphicke said he was disappointed by the Compassion in World Farming “photo stunt that does Dover down”.

“We are all working to to stop live animal exports,” he said. “This is ill-judged and deeply unhelpful.”

The images were projected on Wednesday night when demonstrators held a vigil on the area at the junction of York Street and Townwall Street.

Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate Clair Hawkins said she supported the campaigners. "The CIWF projections were really powerful and it's important we keep up the pressure on the government to act by amending the 1847 Harbours Act (which would give the Port of Dover more powers to prevent the trade) and by enforcing existing animal welfare and transportation regulations."

"The campaign is not an insult to Dover - the live animal export trade is an insult," she said.

Meanwhile,the campaigners are claiming a victory after they say RSPCA officials managed to stop two vehicles carrying animals on their way to Dover docks.

There has been an on-going campaign for the RSPCA inspectors to be allowed inside the docks to inspect the animals prior to being loaded onto the ship Jolene for the crossing to France.

Inspections are carried out by officers from the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency.

Claims that the RSPCA had stopped two of the lorries were made after the latest shipment of animals through the port on Monday.

A spokeswoman for Kent Action Against Live Exports said the RSPCA had been called by a concerned member of the public. “They had stopped these two transporters on the road and checked the animals.

“We understand what they saw they didn’t like and although they had no power to send the transporters back they sent a report into Animal Health in the port highlighting their concerns.

“When these two transporters passed us at the port a leg stuck out through the slats on the top tier of one of the vehicles caused much upset amongst the people present.

“We understand they pushed the offending leg back through the slats, examined as best they could in the confines of the vehicle the other animals in this particular transporter and decided that it came up to legislative requirements so it went.

“The other vehicle that had been stopped by the RSPCA was just waved through by Animal Health straight onto the ship.

“We feel this was a victory as such because it showed the RSPCA did manage to stop two vehicles and check the animals giving them the opportunity to do a report that they can submit to the powers that be.”

Full story in next week's Dover Mercury.