Oliver Parsons-Baker dressed as a giant faeces on the fourth plinth PA

THERE was poo on the fourth plinth this morning.

Thankfully, it wasn't a lavatorial accident by one of Antony Gormley's "living sculptures". It was water expert Oliver Parsons-Baker who amused spectators by ascending the plinth dressed as a lump of excrement.

The 26-year-old, who works for Severn Trent Water, has teamed up with Water Aid to raise awareness of the billions of people trapped in the poverty cycle due to a lack of safe water and toilets.

His cumbersome costume meant he had to be hoisted onto the plinth, drawing laughter and applause from the crowd. The outfit was composed of brown foam and leather, with a sizeable housefly dangling from it.

Parsons-Baker got his message across via two placards which bore the message: "2.5bn people don't have a toilet" and "G8 leaders - take action on the sanitation crisis now".

Halfway though his routine, he changed his outfit and focus, donning a fish costume to highlight the impact of over-fishing as shown in the documentary The End of The Line and in thelondonpaper's campaign Know The True Price of Fish.

Reactions from the crowd were mixed. Oxford healthcare worker Deborah Symmonds, 47, said: "I come from South Africa originally. I've always said that if I win the lottery, one of the first things I would do is try to make sure people have enough drinking water.

"I think what he is doing is very effective. If you touch two people out of 1,000, then that can have a big impact if you think of all the billions of people there are on the planet."

Jessica Edwards, 36, a TV producer from Camden, said: "We are lucky we can come to a space like this where people can voice their concerns and issues. More power to Antony Gormley, I say."

Peter Hinton, 48, from Highbury, who works for a company which invests in Africa said: "It's a good cause, but I'm not quite sure if it's the right medium.

"He's making his point, but as entertainment it's a bit limited.

"I certainly think they should leave the fourth plinth like it is so you can have temporary exhibitions on it."

After his stint was over, Parsons-Baker commented: "I think it went brilliantly. I've had really good feedback. The crowd interaction was brilliant. I think they really got the message.

"I hope that people will donate to WaterAid, take an interest themselves, volunteer - and let's hope for some action from the G8 on the sanitation crisis."