DOZENS of litterbugs will ensure families can enjoy a 'rubbish day out' in the Taunton and West Somerset areas over the school summer holidays.

A total of 29 litterbug sculptures are being placed in their temporary homes ahead of the Trash Trail launch this weekend.

All manner of creatures have been created using unwanted items collected from Priorswood Recycling Centre, in the county town, and they'll be littered around the area for seven weeks.

You'll be able to track down a ladybird, a centipede, an owl, a bee, a duck and a crocodile plus many more - and they're being joined by a three-tonne elephant and a 14-foot polar bear.

Many of them are already in place ahead of the official launch of the Trash Trail at the Orchard Shopping Centre, in Taunton, on Saturday (July 22) from 10am to 2pm.

There will be plenty of fun things to do at the launch event, including trying your hand at painting Cecil the Centipede.

A map detailing where each sculpture is sited will be available for £1 from Taunton Visitor Centre and Avery Garden Centre, in Bishop's Hull.

Each creature will have a secret letter - collect all the letters and unscrabble the anagram to find a word, which you can then submit into a competition for a special prize.

Kelly Durdan, who has spent months organising the Trash Trail along with her father Dave, said: "We really want people to have a 'rubbish day out' over the summer holiday.

"There are some really great sculptures and behind it all is a really important message.

"We've already had dragon and toad sculptures, but they were made from fibreglass. This is the first time recycled items have been used.

"It's about saving the planet by recycling and not wasting. We've got to get together to save the planet.

"All the money raised will go to Somerset Community Foundation so lots of different groups will be able to apply for grants."

The creatures, which have been made by Steven Heard and painted by artists across Somerset, will be sold off at the end of the trail at an auction at Oake Manor Golf Club on September 29.

For further detail about the trail, which runs until September 3, visit www.trashtrail.org and and check out The Trash Trail on Facebook