Happisburgh Time and Tide Bell unveiled on beach

The bell will chime and "murmur" in time with the tidal waves at the Norfolk beach

A giant bell that chimes when the tide comes in and goes out has been installed on a Norfolk beach.

The Happisburgh Time and Tide Bell has been put on the sand at Happisburgh beach and chimed officially for the first time.

The creation of sculptor Marcus Vergette, it is one of 13 planned for the UK coastline, intended to highlight rising sea levels and global warming.

An official launch took place at 11:00 BST on the cliffs.

The tide was expected to come in after midday.

At high tide the bell would be partially covered - at which point it would "murmur" rather than chime, said Robert Payne, chair of the Happisburgh Time and Tide Bell group, which fundraised for the artwork.

Made from marine bronze, he said it stood about 2.5m (8ft) tall.

As the tide was too high, the bell ceremony was held at the top of nearby cliffs

The rise of the water at high tide moves the clapper to strike the bell and "played by the movement of the waves, the bell creates a varying, gentle, musical pattern", organisers said.

A poster attached to the bell said its frame was made from an oak tree planted in 1790 and felled in 2001.

The Happisburgh bell is the 11th of 13 planned for the coastline of England, Scotland and Wales.

The first was installed in Appledore in Devon in May 2009.

The bells have been donated to communities by the artist, but local residents have had to raise about £20,000 to cover the cost of the frame supporting the bell, plus various marine and planning applications and licences.

Speaking ahead of Sunday's launch, Mr Payne said: "Happisburgh is mostly known nowadays for its erosion but we wanted this to be a positive.

"Bells have always been a clarion call to action, so we hope people will take what they want to from this - whether it be about climate change or something else."

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