Dramatic picture scoops prize

‘Tornado’ of starlings is image of the year

An “intriguing” image of starlings swirling around the remains of Brighton’s West Pier has scooped the top prize in the Landscape Photographer of the Year awards.

The dramatic shot by Matthew Cattell, from Bracknell, Berkshire, which judges likened to the tornado in the Wizard of Oz, beat thousands of entries showcasing the UK landscape to win the overall title and £10,000.

An atmospheric black and white photograph of a walker on a ridge above a spreading tree in the Peak District and an image of the delicate tracery of a sandbank against calm water were among the category winners in the competition.

A view of a windswept cottage in the Scottish Highlands and a dramatic shot of tower blocks in Glasgow being demolished also won categories.

Charlie Waite, landscape photographer and founder of the Take A View Landscape Photographer of the Year awards, said of the overall winner: “The sense of movement is palpable in Matthew’s photograph and you really feel what it would have been like to stand beside him.

“The starlings seem to be swirling around the iconic remains of Brighton’s West Pier in a manner reminiscent of the tornado in the Wizard of Oz.”

Picture: PA. The image of the starlings during the winter murmuration.

Picture: PA. Demolition of the Red Road Flats, Glasgow.

Picture: PA. Shelter from the Storm, Loch Stack, Sutherland.