Bulldog spirit on the beach

The conditions may have been wet, to say the least, but the prevailing sense of humour was most definitely dry, especially that of five-year-old competitor Adam, who called his creation "The Titanic".

Meridian TV has been running its televised sandcastle buiding competition for nine years and Friday was the first time the team had been to Littlehampton.

Organisers were worried no-one would turn up because of the dreadful weather, but as the time came for would-be competitors to come forward, a veritable army of about 200 clutching buckets and spades appeared on the soggy horizon!

Presenter Fred Dine-nage was overwhelmed by the indomitable spirit of the Littlehampton contenders and thanked everyone for braving the weather.

"I think Littlehampton is the most extraordinary place in the world," he enthused.

"We will never forget Littlehampton and, God knows, the people of Littlehampton will never forget us.

"We will be back next year when the sun will shine, but at least it has proved to us now that we can stage this sandcastle competition in any conditions and people will still turn up!"

Celebrity judge for the day was the World's leading Dusty Springfield tribute act Karen Noble, who awarded first place to six-year-old Amber Martin and her four-year-old sister Jessica, with their creation, entitled Fred the Second.

James, aged 11, took second place with Todd the Turtle and Adam and his Titanic came third.