Pembrokeshire County Council's architects have shown they can do more than design with bricks and mortar!

A county council team of architects and engineers won a sandcastle competition at the weekend.

The six-strong team tested their skills with buckets and spades in the annual competition organised by the Royal Society of Architects in Wales.

This year's event was run by the West Wales branch and supported by the county council and Cardiff-based Opco Construction.

Eighteen teams of adults and children took to Tenby's Blue Flag South Beach for the challenge on Saturday, which was open to families and friends of the RSAW.

Hundreds of people attended the event and voted for their 'People's Choice' of the day.

PCC's team - Sandcastle Engineers Extraordinaire - won the coveted best overall sandcastle award with their replica of the great Mosque of Djenne.

This stupendous structure in the West African county of Mali is the world's largest mud-brick building and so a fitting subject for a sandcastle event.

The team was presented with its prize by Howard Wainwright, of Powell Dobson Architects, who designed the Water's Edge apartment scheme at Tenby South Beach for Opco.

The chairman of Pembrokeshire County Council, Clr. David Pugh, who attended the event, said he was very impressed with the innovation and creativity of the sandcastles and sculptures on display.

"Well done to everyone and especially to the winning team. It shows what a talented bunch of people work for PCC," he said.

Other local winners included Pembroke-based Acanthus Holden Architects, who took the tallest structure prize for their recreation of Roch Castle, while engineers from Pembroke Dock's Bullock Consulting won best family entry with their ambitious mermaid sculpture.

Organiser Liz Walder, director of RSAW, said the competition was a terrific opportunity for people to show off their creative daring.

"The breadth of entries was truly impressive,' she said.

The PCC team has donated its prize of a family pass to Folly Farm to the Tenby Museum and Art Gallery for it to auction in memory of their clerk of works Jeff Barnes, who passed away in February.