A BEAUTY pageant contestant from Southend has fashioned an ocean-themed recycled dress to walk down the catwalk in the final.

More than 40 contestants for Miss England have ditched their glitzy ball gowns for dresses made from sustainable materials as part of a qualifying round for this year's final.

The women designed and created their own recycled outfits which included dresses constructed from carrier bags, bin liners, face masks and old football shirts.

This includes 23-year-old Emily Cummings from Southend, who has crafted an ocean rescue themed dress from fishing nets, bottles and rubbish bags.

She said: "It is to showcase how our attitudes and habits are creating an ugly image in what should be something beautiful.

"Everything in this dress has been donated or found sustainably and the whole dress itself has been made completely from scratch attached to an old white corset.

"Living so close to the sea, I witness first hand the issues that our litter causes and if my dress can make just one person think about their actions in the future, then it’ll all be worth while."

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Miss Cummings and the other contestants were all competing at the Sanctuary Workshops in Leicester to qualify for the national Miss England final, which be held in Coventry on August 27.

The eco round was started by organiser Angie Beasley in 2007 to give contestants the opportunity to dress for less and think about recycling instead of just buying new and off the peg.

Echo: Miss Essex - Emily Cummings - Ocean rescue dress made from fishing nets and bottes. Miss England contestants hit the catwalk for an eco-fashion contest wearing bizarre recycled outfits - made from face masks, bin liners and even chocolate boxes. See

Angie said this years brief was to make something stylish and creative using recycled materials and portray an ethical message in association with Plastfree a British Menstrual Hygiene brand.

She added: "One average one sanitary pad contains the equivalent of five plastic carrier bags, something I had no idea about myself until I was introduced to Plastfree Pads the partner in this round in Miss England.

“Think about how many pads the average woman goes through in a lifetime. The Miss England finalists are spreading this message to create more awareness”.

Echo: Miss England contestants hit the catwalk for an eco-fashion contest wearing bizarre recycled outfits - made from face masks, bin liners and even chocolate boxes. See SWNS story SWMDbeauty. More than 40 beauty queens ditched glitzy ball gowns for dresses

A shortlist from the 44 finalists will showcase more of their recycled outfits at the Plastfree Eco Queen Livestreamed event which take place on Thursday.

The winner of Miss England will go forward to the 70th Miss World later this year in Puerto Rico.