Christmas trees in Formby halt sand dune erosion

School children in Formby have been taking part in a project to use discarded Christmas trees to stop the erosion of sand dunes.

Five thousand unwanted trees are being placed in the dunes to try and slow the erosion of the coastline, which moves inland by about four metres (13 ft) a year.

The trees will be positioned over a mile of the beach on the Sefton coast.

The branches of the trees bind the sand together and help reduce wind erosion.