CHILDREN and artists are waiting to hear whether they have broken the world record for the largest sand painting.

The 468sq metre depiction of Lord Nelson and his ship HMS Victory was painted on South Bay beach, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, on Saturday.

About 70 people worked together on the world record attempt,which was the idea of Yorkshire Coast College fine art lecturer Dan Maloney.

He said: "Despite some awful weather, it was a fantastic day.

"Everybody was so motivated and they did an amazing job."

Half a tonne of non-toxic paint and more than a mile of string was used on the painting, which took six hours.

The Guinness Book of Records has been notified of the attempt and will decide whether it is the world's largest.

The record is a 144sq metre piece created by Buddhist monks, in Singapore.

"Ours is larger than the previous record but it's still got to be processed - fingers crossed we've broken it," said Mr Maloney.

The attempt, which coincided with National Drawing Week, was supported by Scarborough's urban renaissance initiative and Scarborough Borough Council.

Sponsorship was received from local businesses, including the Crown Spa Hotel, which paid for the paint.