WARNINGS about the impact of rubbish found on Cumbria's beaches packs a powerful punch in an imaginative new art exhibition.

The Waste Beneath Our Waves runs for four days at Kendal's Wildman Gallery, on Wildman Street, from next Monday, January 23.

Exhibits include a six-feet long jellyfish made entirely out of discarded plastic bottles, a mobile of mackerel made from unwanted drinks cans and a giant whale constructed from pieces of waste plastic.

The litter was collected, cleaned and then creatively transformed by schools and community groups into marine sculptures. Cumbria Wildlife Trust has collaborated on the project with artist Ellie Chaney to raise awareness about marine waste and to also celebrate the wealth of wonderful creatures in the Irish Sea.

Amy Hopley, marine trainee at Cumbria Wildlife Trust, explained that the impact of marine litter can be catastrophic: “Leatherback turtles can swallow plastic bags, thinking they are jellyfish and it’s thought that up to 90 per cent of sea birds have plastic bags in their stomachs.

"This is an important message but we didn’t want to depress people or make them feel guilty. The project was designed to be a fun and creative way of making us all more aware of these issues. I think the sculptures will amuse and amaze people.

"The exhibition will appeal to all ages and visitors will come away with some simple suggestions for how they can make a difference in caring for our marine wildlife.”

Meanwhile, artist Ellie said she was surprised by the quantities and the kinds of things that wash up on the region's beaches: "Balloons, children’s toys, a huge amount of fishing netting, even a diver’s hood.

"It was limiting, just using marine litter, but it made us more creative and experimental: how could these plastic bottles and bags be turned into a fish? A shark? An octopus?”

The Waste Beneath Our Waves runs from January 23-26, open from 10.30am-4pm. However, the gallery will close at 12.30pm on Tuesday, January 24.

Further information is available at www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk.