IT WAS more barky than Banksy as 50 pooches were unveiled in a giant graffiti mural for the Brighton Festival.

With dog-mad guest director Laurie Anderson at the helm and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Brighton Festival, the pups have been enshrined with a piece of street art in Kensington Street.

The festival launched a competition to give audiences a chance for their beloved companions to be featured in For the Love of Dogs, inviting them to submit a portrait of their pet along with 50 words on why their dog is special.

After the winners were selected, Brighton-based artist and illustrator Sinna One was tasked with producing the mural - which was formally unveiled with a visit from some of the canine stars and their owners.

For one owner the mural provided a moving tribute to their pup George who died when she was attacked by another dog in January

Kate McCurdy, 32, from London, came down for the unveiling with pictures of George to pose with the rest of the owners.

She moved from Australia in August last year, leaving George, named after Beatle George Harrison, with her mother Anne before she was tragically killed.

She said the mural was a "beautiful tribute to our gorgeous girl" and added "the artist captured her cheekiness and the brightness of her face, it was really moving".

Another of the winners was Tariq Khan and his dog Bartek, a ten and a half-year-old Boston Terrier.

The 39-year-old, from Eaton Place, Brighton, said: "I love the festival so there was no doubt I was going to enter. The hardest part was choosing from the thousands of pictures I have of him on my phone to enter for the competition."

He added: "When we went to see the mural he was a bit perplexed being surrounded by all these other proud dogs and there owners but I was so pleased when I saw him. The likeness is just amazing, it does not just look like him it captures his character as well. The artist did an amazing job."

Another pair of pups featured was Coco, a three-year-old Yorkshire Terrier cross, and two-year-old Woodstock, a Bichon cross, winning their spot with a picture of them dashing across the South Downs.

Their owner Paola Nicita, 44, from King George VI Drive, Hove, said: "There were others which were really cute but that picture captures them so well. It was really good talking to the other dog owners as well."