HUNDREDS of worshippers turned out for a special ceremony that saw statues immersed in the sea at Clacton.

The Hindu ceremony of Ganesha Visarjan took place at Clacton's West Beach on Sunday.

Final offerings were made to Lord Ganesha before two statues were taken out into the sea and immersed in the water.

It brought an end to ten days of prayer and celebration before the festival finished up with the ceremony on the beach.

The annual event was made up of two London temples and attracted a large crowd of on-lookers.

It was attended by Mick Skeels, Tendring Council’s cabinet member for leisure and tourism, who regularly watches the event.

“I was delighted to welcome the temples to Clacton, and myself along with some members of the Beach Patrol received a blessing before the statues were immersed into the sea,” he said.

“The atmosphere is always amazing and I’m sure more and more people come along each year, and we are more than happy to host them.”

Ganesh Visarjan is the celebration of the birth of Lord Ganesha, who is revered by Hindus as the God of knowledge and the remover of obstacles.