A father and daughter duo are hoping their Lego replica of the iconic Sutton Hoo helmet can become a permanent fixture on toy store shelves.

Andrew Webb and his daughter Tilda, who live in Saffron Walden in Essex, have spent the last few weeks of lockdown carefully crafting the piece out of more than 1,000 blocks.

The pair, who have previously visited the 7th century Anglo-Saxon burial site near Woodbridge, were partly inspired to undertake the project after seeing Netflix's blockbuster The Dig, which was released at the end of January.

East Anglian Daily Times: The helmet is made from more than 1,000 blocksThe helmet is made from more than 1,000 blocks (Image: Andrew Webb)

Mr Webb posted a picture of the helmet on Twitter, where it was noticed by British Museum curator Dr Sue Brunning - who called it an "incredible job".

The helmet is accompanied by small figures of excavator Basil Brown, landowner Edith Pretty and Rædwald, King of East Anglia, who was thought to be buried at Sutton Hoo.

The build has been submitted to LEGO Ideas, where fans submit their creations and the public vote for them to be the next must-have in Lego's catalogue of toys.

East Anglian Daily Times: The design has been submitted to Lego Ideas, a platform that can see fan-made creations come to lifeThe design has been submitted to Lego Ideas, a platform that can see fan-made creations come to life (Image: Andrew Webb)

If the helmet can attract 10,000 supporters on the platform, it will be reviewed by a product expert at Lego - who could then decide to mass produce it for store shelves.

Earlier in March, a family in Rendlesham discovered their home-made Winnie the Pooh set had been selected by the Danish toy company to go on general sale.

Mr Webb, a global content strategist for a fin-tech firm, explained the pieces making up the helmet would require to be put together - much like the real thing in the 1940s.

East Anglian Daily Times: Andrew Webb with his and Tilda's creationAndrew Webb with his and Tilda's creation (Image: Andrew Webb)

He said: "Like a lot of people, we were looking for a meaningful project to keep us busy during lockdown that wasn’t baking banana bread.

"We wanted to make the helmet quite realistic. It took a lot of trial and error to get it to stay together.

"Lego sales have gone through the roof during lockdown. Parents are looking for something for their kids to do away from screen time.

East Anglian Daily Times: Lego fan Tilda helped out with the buildLego fan Tilda helped out with the build (Image: Andrew Webb)

"We're trying to tell the history of Sutton Hoo in a medium that youngsters will be able to relate to.

"There's a chance it could get made - it's a long shot, but we will try."