Town awaits giant beach sculpture

Artist Sean Henry cast the sculpture on Merseyside

Final preparations are being made before a giant sculpture is installed on a Northumberland beach.

The 12m (39ft) sculpture of a man and woman - called Couple - will be positioned 300m out to sea at Newbiggin Bay as part of a £10m regeneration.

The weather will play a vital role in the project. Officals said it could take up to four days to complete the delicate installation.

Sculptor Sean Henry said the isolation of coastal areas inspired him.

The sculpture was cast at a foundry on Merseyside and is due to arrive in Northumberland on Wednesday.

About 500,000 tonnes of sand have been brought to the beach, which suffered serious sea erosion in recent years.

The anonymous 5 metre tall bronze male and female figures will face towards the horizon.

At high tide waves will crash against the legs of a steel pier that creates a 7.5 metre high platform from which the couple gaze out into the open sea.

The sculpture will stand on the breakwater, 300m out to sea

The sculpture will be the final piece in Wansbeck Council's revamp of the bay, which had virtually disappeared by the time work began in May.

A giant dredger laden with sand made about 30 round trips from Skegness to restore the beach to its former glory.

Sean Henry said: "I am very interested to see how the light and unique location will affect the work, once it has been installed.

"The breakwater is an incredibly dramatic location for a sculpture, and I hope when people first see the pier and the two figures looking out to sea that the work will appear both surprising and familiar."