VANDALS have attacked a skate park memorial designed in memory of a popular Southampton DJ.

The graffiti-style image of Errol Matthews in the city's Hoglands Park has become a shrine for friends and relatives of the inspirational young man, who died in March this year.

Errol, who was 22 when he died, was well known as DJ Blue and for his inspirational charity fundraising despite being born with a terminal heart and lung condition.

Crowds gathered in the park two months ago to watch the image painted on the side of the skate park by a top graffiti artist during the city's K2 Urban Festival, a health and well-being project for young people which attracts thousands of teenagers with its art and music.

Now Errol's family say they are devastated after vandals defaced the image ahead of another K2 event on Saturday.

"We walk past it on the way to college and were really shocked to see it," said Tara Matthews, Errol's sister.

"It's so disrespectful after everything he did."

Errol's cousin Lindsey Robertson added: "If someone really wanted to put graffiti on the skate park there are lots of places, but they did it on his face and that's what hurts most."

Errol, the former winner of a Daily Echo-backed Power FM Local Hero award, was born with pulmonary atresia - a terminal condition that affects the artery taking blood to the lungs.

Despite doctors' predictions that he would not live past his sixth birthday, Errol, from St Denys, threw his energy into raising thousands of pounds for charity through jumble sales, discos and special under-18 dance nights.

Simon Whitmore, co-ordinator of K2, said the graffiti would be removed before the weekend.

"It will be coated in graffiti-proof paint and we will also be touching it up on Saturday while explaining to young people why respecting it is important.

"Obviously we can't promise it won't happen again, but we can get it off quickly. Errol was an inspirational young man and part of the K2 event," he said.