Waltham Forest residents are divided on whether the new mural on Leyton High Road is cheerful and unique or a distracting waste of money.

The colourful design above shop fronts in Leyton High Road, between Sedgewick Road and Murchison Road, was designed by artist Camille Walala.

The project cost £40,000 in total, of which £25,000 was provided by the Mayor of London while the remainder came from crowdfunding.

Responding to a call for opinions from local residents, Shah Ahmed said: “They are very gimmicky, all these shops need is a clean up and regular cleaning.

“The council should be spending time and money on the public realm.”

Jo Eliana added: “I like modernism but this is too loud and busy for me. It's too high contrast and uncomfortable to look at; visual sensory overload.”

Donna East said: “It’s a no for me, I liked what they did when it was the Olympics but this is a bit too much.”

However, others appreciated the pop of colour on the High Street, created using recycled paint from the Forest Recycling Project.

Helen O’Brien said: “I love it. It brightens up what was a drab series of shop fronts. More of this please.”

The project was completed with the help of local businesses such as Deeney’s and Wood Street Walls.