Van Gogh had his sunflowers, Monet had his gardens but for Medway artist Paul Cummin-Benson, rusting shopping trolleys catch his eye.

The painter, who feels passionately about the environment, has created several works featuring the River Medway, with Rochester Castle and Cathedral in the background - and abandoned trolleys in the foreground.

The Green Party member said: "I used to go to Morrisons and noticed the trolleys in the creek when the tide was out. There was quite a lot of other litter there too."

Mr Cummin-Benson managed to get some of the trolleys removed but when more appeared a few months later, he decided to use his artistic skills to draw attention to the issue.

The 65-year-old, of The Close, Rochester, said: "Neither Medway Ports Authority nor Peel Ports considered removing the trolleys in their remit.

"The manager of Morrisons said he would follow it up, and one or two trolleys were later removed. However, more trolleys appeared a few months later.

"Since then, very little action has been taken, so the trolleys remain.

"It took me a while to decide how to depict this in a meaningful way. I decided to paint pictures which show Medway’s architectural beauty – the castle and the cathedral – on one side of the river as well as the rubbish on the Strood side."

He added: "There are other things in the mud such as traffic cones and bicycle bits and, again, nobody takes responsibility for them. I might use them as subjects for future pictures."

Mr Cummin-Benson has been creating environmental paintings as a hobby for 10 years.

Other works show water pollution in the Great Barrier Reef and sewage in the River Thames.

The retired teacher said: "I don't suppose these are paintings anyone would ever buy, but it has to be stated."