Sand sculptor is river Banksy for the Thames

You meet all sorts on the Thames foreshore. This is Andy, for instance, and his friend Sandy.

Andy is the chap in the jeans and T-shirt while Sandy - well, you can probably guess.

As for the octopus who appears to be making his way up Sandy's left leg, unfortunately we do not have a name, but he seems to be up to no good.

Is that a daffodil in its tentacles? Could it be indulging in a strange cephalopod courtship ritual? The thought is, to say the least, disturbing.

Andy (and Sandy) certainly picked a nice day for the beach - blue skies, bright sunshine.

If you close your eyes, you could almost - actually, no, you would never think you were in St Tropez. But you do get a fine view: St Paul's Cathedral, the Gherkin, the Embankment.

Andy started sculpting last year when he was homeless and trying to raise money for a deposit on a flat. A real-life case of building your house on sand.