A NEW tourist attraction is to celebrate one of Weymouth’s iconic natural assets – its golden sand.

Sculptures more than five metres high will be part of the new attraction, Sandworld, at Lodmoor Country Park.

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council has granted planning permission for the Sandworld international sand sculpture park to be built on the site.

Work on the attraction is to begin immediately and next month some of the world’s best sand artists will descend on Weymouth from around the world to create the first sculptures based on a maritime theme. The attraction will open on April 22.

The park is the realisation of a dream for Weymouth sand sculptor Mark Anderson who creates the popular figures and displays on Weymouth Beach.

He joined forces with Weymouth businessman David Hicks to get the new venture off the ground.

Mr Anderson said: “We are very excited about this new venture.

“Sandworld is a natural progression from my seafront exhibition and builds on the worldwide success of sand sculpting events, exhibitions and festivals. It will celebrate tradition and will host the UK’s first competitive international sand sculpture event.”

Mr Anderson said that in addition to the work on Sandworld he will continue to create the displays on the seafront, in a tradition that goes back to the 1920s when his grandfather, Fred Darrington, started modelling on the beach.

The team wants to use Sandworld to give children and adults a chance to improve their modelling ability, do team building activities and release their creativity through a number of programmes and workshops.

The new site will be situated close to the Sea Life Centre between the leisure ranch and the recently restored miniature electric train.

All the biggest sculptures will be found under a marquee to keep them dry.

The move has drawn support from the Friends of Lodmoor Country Park. Committee member Dinah Ellis said: “It sounds like it’s going to be a really nice and unusual complement to the park.

“We backed the original site on the outside of the park but its much better in the new site in the middle of the park.

“It will be fun, but it will be artistic as well. It sounds like a good, classy exhibition.”