Torquay is Britain's best beach for building a sandcastle

Sand samples from high, middle and low tide marks were tested for load-bearing capacity, grain-size distribution, visual aesthetics, and cleanliness.

The team, led by Bournemouth University, found the winning formula to be OW0.125 x s - one part water to eight parts of sand.

And the beach at Torquay, Devon, is Britain's best for buckets and spades.

Leader of the study for Teletext Holidays, Bournemouth University's Professor Matthew Bennett, said: "If people get the water-sand combination right, they will have hours of fun.

KINGS OF THE SANDCASTLE Torquay, Devon Bridlington, East Yorkshire Great Yarmouth, Norfolk Bournemouth, Dorset Tenby, Pembrokeshire Blackpool, Lancashire Eastbourne, East Sussex Herne Bay, Kent Newquay, Cornwall Rhyl, Denbighshire

"The correct mix of sediment and water is crucial to any castle," Prof Bennett added.

"The strength of a sandcastle depends on how the grains interact," he said.

"Too much water, and the sand will liquefy. Too little, and the sand won't bind," Prof Bennett added.

"Britain has a wealth of beaches extremely well suited to sandcastle building," he said.

Best suited are: Torquay, Devon; Bridlington, East Yorkshire; Great Yarmouth, Norfolk; Bournemouth, Dorset; Tenby, Pembrokeshire; Blackpool, Lancashire; Eastbourne, East Sussex; Herne Bay, Kent; Newquay, Cornwall; and Rhyl, Denbighshire, the study says.

Torquay was found to be top due to its extremely fine-grained sand, which also resulted in the beach having the sand with greatest cohesive powers.

Teletext Holidays is holding a sandcastle-building competition in Great Yarmouth, in July.