A 150-foot wide planet Earth carved into the sand on Blackpool beach to reflect the fragility of the oceans’ eco-systems is being used to launch a new £100,000 conservation feature at Lancashire’s top aquarium.

And renowned East Lancashire photographer Clive Lawrence was on hand to capture some beautiful images.

Visible from the top of the Tower, the large-scale artwork took a team of five sand artists nearly six hours to create, with every country, continent and corner of the globe painstakingly captured.

Matthew Titherington, general manager at SEA LIFE Blackpool said: “We wanted to really make a big statement about the precarious state of the world’s oceans and marine life today.

“Our new ‘Four Corners of the World’ area, which features rare and unusual sea creatures from all over the globe, will help people to better understand the vulnerable state of marine life and the clear and present danger it faces.”

Part of the popular seafront aquarium’s ‘breed, rescue, protect’ campaign, it spotlights the threats championed by TV environmentalist Sir David Attenborough on his landmark Blue Planet II series.

These include plastic pollution, overfishing and habitat destruction, which are leaving many species endangered or even close to extinction.

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“We’re really looking forward to seeing the faces of our first guests.  It’s interactive and educational, with special viewing bubbles, helping people to understand more about these important aspects of marine life and the massive bio-diversity they support,” added Matthew Titherington.

“It’s a completely new feature and represents a major investment.  Blackpool will be the first SEA LIFE anywhere in the world to host this remarkable display.”