Prodigy frontman Keith Flint has backed a millennium campaign to wipe out third world debt - literally.

The self-styled wildman has shown his caring, sharing side by having his back tattooed with the slogan 'drop the debt' to show his support of a global initiative aiming to help some of the world's poorest countries.

A spokeswoman for the band said that fellow band member Liam Howlett carried out the tattoo in a bid to show their commitment to the campaign.

He has been joined by fellow band members in supporting a petition pledging support to Jubilee 2000 - the organisation which has been putting pressure on world leaders to perform the humanitarian gesture of wiping out billions of pounds of debt.

And joining the multi-million record selling band is Brit nominee Robbie Williams, music legend David Bowie, Luciano Pavarotti, Oasis, Catatonia and Cornershop.

The move is being hailed as the biggest political music industry campaign since Live Aid.

The support of the music industry which includes record companies will be unveiled at the annual Brit Awards next week and deputy director of Jubilee 2000, Adrian Lovett hopes their backing will bring more attention to the cause.

Mr Lovett said: "It is of huge importance the music industry support us.

"To some the topic of third world debt is boring and complicated but with their backing the issue will be made accessible to a wider audience."

"It is amazing to think something like Live Aid raised more than £100m in aid but more than that is returned each week in debt repayment by Africa.

"For every £1 we give in aid to third world countries £3 is taken back in debt repayments. To let these countries off the debts they owe is a matter of economics not just of human justice."

Millions of people worldwide have signed the petition which will be presented to the world's most powerful economic nations at the final summit of the century in Germany.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.