SEASIDE sand sculptures have been given a stay of execution by the council that ordered a community group to tear them down.

Last week, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council faced criticism after they told the group behind a series of elaborate artworks that they must take them down or pay the council £700 to remove them.

The authority - which had contributed £10,000 of the £35,000 cost of the sculptures – told the Friends of Redcar that the creations, located close to Redcar’s boating lake, must be torn down to make way for a triathlon that had attracted more interest than anticipated.

Following widespread criticism, the town’s council met with the group and the organisers of the triathlon, in the hope of reaching a compromise.

The authority has now agreed to let most of the sculptures – which include an elaborate castle and a Romeo and Juliet themed piece – remain.

A tribute to the victims of the Manchester bombing will be removed due to deterioration while a depiction of Captain Jack Sparrow will be taken down to allow for the triathlon to go ahead unhindered.

A spokesman for Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council said: “This will give athletes competing in the triathlon enough space to safely transition from the swim to bike legs of the event with the remaining sculptures offering an excellent backdrop for spectators. We are pleased that this positive outcome has been achieved.”

Cllr Carl Quartermain, who is a member of the Friends group, welcomed the council’s decision and said: “I feel absolutely elated to know that the sculptures are staying.

“The whole point of them is to bring footfall to Redcar so that more people come to the town, see them and maybe stay to enjoy a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

“They help the local economy to tick over and have brought thousands of people in to Redcar.”

He said the sculptures were being retouched ahead of the triathlon, adding: “The support from the community has been absolutely fantastic and goes to show that the public have taken this art to their hearts.

“I know the council took a bit of a kicking over this but I believe they should have had more foresight in thinking about how to solve the problem rather than going for the easiest option of removing them.”