An artist whose who designed a logo to help victims of the Manchester Bombing has slammed ‘opportunists’ using it for personal profit.

Graphic designer Matt Wray came up with a logo featuring a bee with a hearts on its thorax and the words ‘hope, strength, peace’ on its abdomen.

The design has been shared almost half a million times on Facebook and has been legitimately used on an Easyjet plane.

But Matthew, 35, who works at Bollington Print Shop, claims unscrupulous online traders have been using the image without permission to profit from the tragedy.

He said: “I created the image in response to the awful event in Manchester as a way of sending a positive message and some comfort.

“However, on an almost daily basis I’m having to contact sellers who are using my image illegally and personally gaining, which is so very wrong.”

Matt said he has found his image used on t-shirts, phone covers and bumper stickers.

He said: “I found one company selling phone covers with a crude version of my design for £19. There was no mention of where the money would go to so you have to assume it’s going into their pockets.

“I’ve contacted the websites and challenged quite a few sellers directly, with a serious-sounding email that gets their attention.

“Most of them take the items down or offer to make amends.

“However one company selling stickers aren’t really playing ball. I just don’t want someone getting rich off something like this. That’s really cynical.

Matt is encouraging anyone buying something with his design to check where the money is going.

He said: “I’ve never made a penny from this and don’t want to but I have always been happy for people to use it to promote the cause and raise some money for those affected.

“I would just ask anyone buying something with my design to check that any money spent is going to the right place, not some individual’s back pocket.”

In the weeks following the Manchester bombing Matt’s design was also as painted on White Nancy by Debra Nixon and Debbie Chappell at the request by Bollington mayor Andy Langdon.

The city’s worker bee emblem has become a symbol of unity and defiance following the bombing at Manchester Arena which killed 22 people.