Artists are today putting the finishing touches to a series of music-themed sand sculptures ahead of a major exhibition that will last throughout the summer.

The international Sand Sculpture Festival starts on Monday and has turned the Black Rock site in Brighton into a sand village of the world's biggest music stars.

Around 4,000 tonnes of sand had to be shipped in to Brighton for the 20 artists to work with because the city's own beach is pebbly.

But undeterred, the sculptors have got to work on the theme of Sing-a-Song of Sculpture and The Beatles, Beethoven, Led Zeppelin, Elvis Presley and Adele are already visible.

The work is a painstaking task to create the perfect sculpting block.

Layer by layer, the sand is mixed with water and compacted into wooden boxes using heavy machinery.

Co-organiser and sculptor Nicola Wood said: "A lot of people are convinced that we mix cement or glue into the sand. They are wrong. It really is just sand and water. The secret is in the preparation. It takes a great deal of strength and endurance to compact such volumes of sand."

Co-organiser Alec Messchaert added: "We have 20 of the best sculptors in the world here in Brighton so we are confident that our debut exhibition here will be a hit."

The exhibition continues until September 30.