A photo of Bantham Beach lifeguards taken by a Salcombe resident has won the British Life Photography Awards.

Paul Carruthers of Swimstones Photography said there was “tears and crying” when he heard that he had won the Life at Work category, with his photo ‘Lifeguard’, taken at Bantham Beach, and had gone on to become the Overall Winner of the entire British Life Photography Awards.

Paul said: “I’m not really a fan of competitions, but people encouraged me to enter one, so I picked the big one, now I’ve won the big one!”

When he submitted the image to the competition, Paul said: “Whilst walking the dog on the beach I spotted lifeguards in the distance. The mist and haze was really thick and then began to lift. I carry my camera everywhere and as I got closer I noticed these great tyre marks that added the final touch to the image.”

Paul’s photo will be the centre of a touring exhibition will launch at the Royal Albert Hall in January 2018. The open days for viewing by the public are: January 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28, between 10am and 1pm - these times could be subject to change so please check first with the Royal Albert Hall website.

The exhibition will be on tour at Redbrick Building, Glastonbury, Somerset, between February 12 and March 25 2018, the Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar,Yorkshire, between early April to early June, the Auction Centre, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, between July 28 and September 9, and Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries, between October 13 and November 17.