The timber which was washed ashore from a grounded freighter is being used to create an eco-friendly house in Cornwall.

Luke New is using 10 tonnes of wood salvaged from the Kodima to build a house in Ludgvan.

The vessel lost half her cargo after she run aground off Whitsand Bay in east Cornwall in gales on 2 February.

Mr New was among hundreds of people who converged on the bay to collect the pine planks.

The Kodima ran aground off Whitsand Bay

The cargo ship was eventually refloated and taken to Falmouth.

Mr New said: "A friend called me at 2am and I spent a whole night salvaging wood.

"I also bought a load from a local salvage company which I had delivered in a 10-tonne lorry."

He decided to use the timber for the floors, window frames and kitchen work surfaces of a four-bedroom house, which is still under construction.

Mr New said using salvaged timber fitted in well with the building's eco-friendly design.

Beach hut

"The outside will be all made out of straw bales which are a great insulating material.

"The roof is made from recycled car tyre slates. They look just like slate, are really easy to use and you don't get breakages."

Mr New found many of the fixtures and fittings for his property in an old bungalow which was about to be demolished.

His building is not the only one in Cornwall to make use of wood salvaged from the Kodima.

A group of students from the University of Plymouth created a three-storey beach hut at a secluded spot overlooking Whitsand Bay.

The hut, complete with deck chairs, hammocks and a portable barbecue, was built without planning permission or the consent of the land owners.

A spokeswoman for the university said students have since dismantled the structure after the land owners asked the university to pay for demolition costs.