Residents and council officials have been left scratching their heads after hundreds of brightly coloured rubber ducks were found along a beach front.

Hundreds of the yellow ducks have been found along Bognor promenade this morning and now council officials are trying to unravel the mystery of how they got there.

Cleaning contractors working on behalf of Arun District Council have cleared away the ducks into eight bags each containing up to 100 little figurines.

It is believed that the ducks, which all have numbers on their bottom, have been strategically placed rather than washed up from the sea.

Kirsten Fitzpatrick, events manager with Bognor Regis Town Council, said: “This morning we had a call from the team of contractors to say they had found hundreds of ducks.

“They had not been washed up, they were all placed strategically along the promenade and the breakers.

“They have been cleared up and we are trying to trace the owners.

“It must have taken a while to place all these ducks so someone must have seen something.”

An Arun District Council spokesman said their cleansing Team discovered the ducks scattered along the seafront at about 8.15am this morning.

Their staff estimated there were around 400 which are currently being stored at the authority's Littlehampton depot.

Bognor Regis Police have also been informed about the ducks in case they had been stolen.

If you know anything about the ducks then email neil.vowles@theargus.co.uk or call 01273 544530.