A spray-painted mural on the side of a house has been branded an "eyesore" by neighbours - who fear it will encourage taggers.

The colourful piece - incorporating a whale's tail within an array of graffiti-style wording and tags - has proved controversial among Margate residents.

The work - by renowned street artist Martin Whatson - was completed last week as part of the Rise Up Residency project, which aims to promote marine conservation and combat ocean plastic.

The scheme has largely proved popular in the town and been described as "a really clever way of engaging the community in something positive".

But Ian Argent, who lives in one of the homes opposite the addition to Caroline Square, off Bath Road, told KentOnline: "It looks like kids have done it. It's ruined the white wall that was there before."

Mr Argent, 41, who works in insurance claims, feels their mural doesn't compare to the other 16 creations around Margate.

"You look at some of the other ones around that are really nice but this one is not - it's an eyesore," he said.

Those living in the square say they were originally told by the organisers that it was going to depict a trawler with a net.

However, the artist "apparently lost his stencils", and settled with this design.

"We were told we were going to have the best one," said bemused Mr Argent.

Other neighbours feel the same, including Steven, 41.

"The problem is I don't know how it relates to marine conservation. It's completely different to what we expected," said Steven, who met the artist when the piece was completed.

Residents also fear it could actually encourage graffiti.

"It's going to encourage kids to tag the building. It's out of place," Steven added.

Another resident, who asked not to be named, agreed.

"It just feels like a lot of tags and all it's going to do is influence kids to come round and put more tags up," he said.

He told KentOnline the Caroline Square mural "is just graffiti tags - that's all it looks like unfortunately."

"When you look at the other pieces around they are actually really beautiful to look at," he said.

"That just looks like you could go down the Lido and see the same thing".

He added that "only one person in the street likes it".

Artist Martin Whatson, from Norway, is well-known for his vibrant graphics and has showcased work from New York to Tokyo, amassing a following of 100,000 on Instagram.

Much of his work centres around environmental issues and the urban landscape. Residents say he was set to be the headline artist for the campaign.

In a video posted by Rise Up, Mr Whatson said: "The colourful background is supposed to represent water, but it also represents how we as humans are putting our mark on nature.

"As artists and especially street artists, we have a platform where we can use our voices to inform people and change their minds about pollution in the oceans or other themes that are important to us".

The innovative artist's work is highly sought-after, so much so that a skateboard decorated by him is being sold on eBay for £10,000.

The reaction to the murals has been mostly positive on social media, with many people sharing photos of the designs as they come across them and praising the scheme.

Rob Yates, councillor for Central Margate, told KentOnline the scheme is "a brilliant initiative".