Women's Lib vandals target Sheffield street art of David Attenborough and Patrick Moore

The portrait of Sir David in a green polo shirt and green jacket was one of three murals attacked in a single night, with one completely ruined.

On his mural Sir David’s jacket has badges saying ‘I [heart] fern’, ‘[Heart] planet Earth’, ‘I [heart] fauna’, ‘I [heart] Sheffield’, ‘I [heart] green’ and an international peace sign and a red poppy,

But the lower half has been daubed with the feminist message as well as a note accusing someone of the vandalism.

The mural was painted by graffiti artist Chris Butcher - who uses the name Rocket01 - in August on the side of a building in the Antiques Quarter of Sheffield.

He said he hoped to cover up the damage - but another of his other murals, of the astrologer Sir Patrick Moore, has been completely ruined by gold spray paint.

Mr Butcher said he believes he knows who is behind the vandalism.

He said: “One guy in particular decided to start destroying stuff. Some people like to create art. Others like to vandalise stuff. It’s upset us quite a lot.

“What can we do? We are a family, we have two children. We haven’t got time to be running after people.”

His wife, Sarah Yates, who uses the artistic name Faunagraphic, was also targeted in the vandalism spree.

A mural on which she had been working for a street art event in Sheffield had what appeared to be two stick men drawn underneath.

She has now repainted over the damaged section of her work and suggested the vandal was “holding back”.

She added: “My husband’s ones are the ones to worry about.”