WILDLIFE lovers will be able to enjoy a new exhibition by some of the country's finest photographers when it opens at the weekend.

Kirkleatham Museum is hosting images from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPOTY) competition, on loan from its home at the Natural History Museum, for a month beginning on Saturday (October 25).

The museum, near Redcar, is one of only a handful of UK locations to host the exhibit.

Now into its 49th year, WPOTY has seen more than 43,000 entries from around the world with a panel of experts charged with the difficult task of selecting the 100 best pictures to be displayed in the exhibit.

Every photo undergoes a strict judging process with its creativity, artistry and technical complexity under the microscope before it can be placed on the shortlist.

Councillor Steven Goldswain, a cabinet member for Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, said: “It is a great honour for the museum to host the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit and hopefully visitors will come away knowing more about the natural world around us than they did before.”

The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am until 4pm with tickets for the exhibit costing £2 per adult and £1 per child.

For more information on this exhibit, and other exhibits being held at the museum visit www.redcar-cleveland.gov.uk/kirkleathammuseum