A BEACH themed water play area has brought the seaside to Dartford.

Funding for the facility in Central Park, Dartford, has come from a £120,000 National Lottery grant and £50,000 from Dartford Council.

Within the play area, unveiled at the Dartford Festival, is a picture board inspired by Victorian artist Donald McGill’s risque seaside postcards, to try and capture being beside the seaside.

The boardwalk is also made of a special moulded material which mimics a weathered look reminiscent of the pier boardwalks of the 1950s and 1960s.

And to make sure the water used in the play area is put to good use, a series of underground storage tanks pump the water to provide irrigation to flower beds next to Dartford Library.

Dartford Council leader Jeremy Kite said: “We wanted a really good theme and are absolutely thrilled with the way it looks and the way the kids are receiving it.”