Stars of Hollywood have taken over a beach as an annual sand sculpture gets under way.

Batman, King Kong, Yoda from Star Wars and troubled cabbie Travis Bickle from the Robert De Niro cult film Taxi Driver are gracing Weston-super-Mare beach in Somerset.

Other idols of Hollywood featuring in the Sand Sculpture Festival include Gollum, from Lord of the Rings, ET and film director Alfred Hitchcock.

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More than 20 of the world's greatest sculptors from nine different countries are working away using 4,000 tonnes of sand from the beach.

The festival opens to the public on Good Friday.

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PA