Vegan campaigners have been slammed for painting this message of a rock which has extremely rare plants living in its crevices
Meat-free campaigners daubed the words 'Go Vegan' in huge letters on a rock face in the Avon Gorge near Bristol this week.
But the move has been slammed by conservation experts at the National Trust, who say the rock is home to rare plants, including rock cress, which may have been killed or damaged by the thick masonry paint.
The 'Go Vegan' message is clearly visible from across the gorge on Bridge Valley Road and appears to be either signed or a message to a 'Ned', 'Ryan' and 'Ash'.
The National Trust's local countryside manager Lisa Topham hit out at the irresponsible move.
She said: 'The cracks in that rock are home to the exceptionally rare Bristol Rock Cress which grows in crevices of exposed rock faces.
'The people who climbed the rock face are bound to have trampled the plants and even painted them. What they have done there isn't green in any way.'
Ms Topham added: 'We can't risk causing damage ourselves, so we can't use chemicals to remove the paint.
'Using a blaster to remove it still risks the paint filling the crevices where these rare plants live.
'The only other option is painting over it - but that creates a blank canvas and we'd still rather not have anybody up on the rock face for any reason.'
The gorge is home to some plant species which don't live anywhere else in the world
Ms Topham said: 'The woods and the edge of the gorge are terribly important. They are home to several species which are not found anywhere else in the world - including the rock cress.
'It is probably the richest site for Whitebeams in the world with some very rare trees only found in Leigh Woods.
'We want people to feel it is their woods and come and enjoy it - but we also need people to understand it is fragile and to help us look after the place.'
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