A Kent beach has been adorned with silhouettes of soldiers to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Stunning pictures taken by onlooker Dean Spinks show armed forces members marked into the sand at Stone Bay in Broadstairs.

An outpour of appreciation has been shared online for the incredible artwork, with many saying it is “amazing”.

The 80th anniversary of D-Day is on June 6 and marks eight decades since the Normandy Landings an official coin is being released that pays tribute to Allied troops.

It comes as a new 50p coin was unveiled by The Royal Mint to mark the date.

The reverse - or tails - of the new 50p piece shows soldiers getting off a landing craft and onto the beaches of Normandy with fighter aircraft looming in the skies above them.

The design, created by David Lawrence with support from Imperial War Museums, also has the inscription ‘D-DAY, 6 JUNE, 1944, UTAH, OMAHA, GOLD, JUNO, SWORD’.

The latter five are code names given to the assault beaches which formed part of Operation Overlord.

In the early hours of June 6, 1944, troops from the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and other Allied nations stormed five beaches in northern France, aiming to break through Hitler’s Atlantic Wall defences.

Known as D-Day - events on that date marked the beginning of the eventual liberation of Europe.

Thousands of armed forces personnel, D-Day veterans and members of the public will take part in special events both in Normandy and Portsmouth this June to mark the 80th anniversary.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will lead the nation’s tributes.

He said: “The country will pay tribute to the heroes who fought against the odds to liberate Europe 80 years ago.

“We can never forget those who sacrificed so much to defend the freedom of the UK and our closest allies.”