An 'edgy' artist has has been slammed for creating sticks of rock with pop pervert Gary Glitter's name through it and giving them to passers by.

Called Help Yourself, the work of 'art' has a picture of Herne Bay on the outer wrapping and the name of the disgraced singer running through it.

Sadie Hennessy, who lives in nearby Whistable, has been leaving piles of the rock by public toilets near her home and encouraging people to take them.

She has watched as people have taken a piece of rock and then been shocked by the lettering inside.

When the 1,200 sticks of rock she commissioned were sent to her all the boxes had things like 'wrong' and 'sicko' written on them.

However, unrepentant Sadie said: "I am not celebrating Gary Glitter in any way. My piece is about however nice life seems, there can always be something dark around the corner.

"I have to be aware that feelings run extremely high around this emotive subject."

It was in March last year that rumours swept Herne Bay that the twisted glam rocker had made his home in the town.

However, no one provided any photographic evidence of their claims and many of the reports were contradictory.

Sadie, whose piece is part of the Whitstable Biennale arts festival, says the aim of the Glitter rock was to use hysteria surrounding the rumours about him in Herne Bay.

She said: "I was thinking about how to use what had happened last year in the town and also a lot of the art I do includes text.

"It’s been interesting to watch how people have picked up the rock and seen that it has Herne Bay on the outside and Gary Glitter in the middle."