A new mural symbolises the impending doom of a town that could be under water in fewer than 30 years.

Artist Ajax Piper has unveiled the new artwork called "The sea is rising and so are we" on Cellar Arts, in Marine Parade, Worthing, which was created on behalf of Extinction Rebellion Worthing in collaboration with the arts club to highlight the climate crisis.

XR Worthing said the town is set to be almost completely wiped out by 2050 due to rising sea levels, caused by melting ice and thermal expansion related to global warming.

According to climate central map predictions, an area home to around 150,000 people would be “entirely lost” to the sea.

The message “The sea is rising and so are we” stems from the XR Red Rebels’ first  appearance on Porthmeor Beach in St Ives, Cornwall, in a visual display to highlight the climate emergency.

The sea is rising and so are we: Climate Justice Handbook is also the name of Cynthia Kaufma’s book, which encourages people to get involved in the climate justice movement and build a sustainable world.

“Although I love painting for any reason, even if it's simply to produce imagery that’s visually interesting, painting something that has a more significant purpose has been extremely motivating for me as an artist,” said Mr Piper.

“I find all the work and energy that the XR community is putting into highlighting and tackling the climate crisis truly inspiring, and I feel very privileged to have been able to support their efforts in my own small way.”

Thomas Green, chairman of the Cellar Arts Club, said it was an honour to have the mural on the club’s wall.

“The Cellar Arts Club are pleased and excited to be able to welcome this Extinction Rebellion mural to our outside wall,” he said.

“Ajax is so talented, and watching this piece come into being has been revelatory.

“It’s a privilege to be associated with it.

“Climate change can be perceived as political. At one level it is, in that it concerns how money is invested within our society, but at another level it’s simply about all our futures, and as an organisation centred on community, this involves us all.”