WEYMOUTH is set to get balloon crazy as giant inflatable sculptures pop up across the town this summer.

Balloonatic Kevin Hart, who is behind the sculptures, will create a six-foot tall gorilla, a dinosaur and a giant octopus among other colourful characters over the coming weeks.

A gumball machine with cheeky monkeys clamouring on it has already been on display at Tom & Erin’s Ice Cream Parlour on The Esplanade and a giant punk rocker stood outside Passion and Pain Emporium in St Thomas Street.

Mr Hart, who has been balloon modelling for 20 years, said: “I’m working with independent retailers and I thought it would be nice to create sculptures that fit in with what they do.

“I’ve got a few ideas – you might be seeing a shark at the harbour but there won’t be a sausage dog in sight.

“Balloon twisting has undergone something of a revolution in recent years with balloons featuring in exhibitions in the Tate Modern and the British Museum.

“In the last five or six years it’s really taken off. I hope to bring a little bit of that magic to Weymouth.

“There is so much more to balloon modelling than sausage dogs and poodles.

“It’s something a little bit quirky and a little bit different – and that’s what Weymouth is all about.”

Mr Hart, of Weymouth business Funtime Balloons, said time was of the essence when creating a sculpture.

He added: “I never stick to a set plan – you can’t really – so I might add a few more gumballs, for example, or an extra monkey or two.

“The worst is when you get to the last knot and the whole thing explodes. You have to expect the unexpected in this job.

“My balloon art has been showcased in Weymouth before at the Seafood Festival, but I’ve never done anything on this scale. This is my biggest project yet.”