Primary pupils “amazed” by the amount of rubbish collected from a Suffolk beach are hoping to transform the unsightly mess into works of art.

Benhall St Mary Primary School collected 14kg of rubbish - including vast amounts of fish and chip forks and ketchup wrappers - from Aldeburgh beach on Friday as part of the pupils’ project on the coast and its wildlife.

Woodlands Class teacher Katie Jenkins said the children were “absolutely amazed” by what they found and “really passionate” about improving their environment.

“The children were really interested in finding out about why our coast is so special but also very fragile and how it has changed since the storms last year,” she said.

“We decided to go to the beach to find out how much litter there was and also to learn about the local wildlife.

“I think they were absolutely amazed by what they found - you don’t see it so much when it’s spread across the whole beach but when you start bringing it all together it’s quite surprising to see how much there really is.

“They’re really passionate about the litter problem and the impact it’s having on the environment and are keen to go back to the coast to collect even more rubbish.”

Back at school, the pupils sorted through the litter, from food wrappers and cigarette butts to a pair of pyjamas, and arranged it according to which section of the beach it was found - shoreline, tide line or beach.

A report on their findings will be presented the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB, which provided the pupils with the litter picking equipment.

And the rubbish itself will be “upcycled” into statues to feature in a possible art exhibition later this term.