A budding young photographer from Beaconsfield has scooped three top prizes in the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards 2018.

Ten-year-old Thomas Easterbrook has been awarded the first prize and two commendations in the under-12 category after his striking image, called majestic raven, came out on top in the category.

His images captioned ‘Havergate hare’ and ‘ladybird preparing for lunch’ were both given commendations.

It is the second year Thomas has won a prize in the competition. Last year, his photo of a hummingbird hawk-moth bagged him the runner-up prize in the same category.

This year, he beat more than 4,700 other entrants.

He said: “I photographed the raven keeping watch at the Tower of London. I thought it was slightly menacing but very beautiful.

“I took the picture of the ‘Havergate hare’ in the spring. I had taken a boat to Havergate Island before sunrise to see the brown hares. Luckily, I was able to get very close to one hare and managed to take this photo. The hare seemed very relaxed and I love the way the gorse is reflecting in its eye.

“My ladybird photo was taken when on a walk in the summer. I was surprised how scary the ladybird looked when seen very close and it was certainly well positioned for its next meal.”

Youngsters aged up to 18 had been invited to capture the animal kingdom on camera or on a mobile device for this year’s competition.

Judge and awards host Chris Packham said: “The fantastic images we have seen this year range from creatures in the desert and pets at play to animals just getting on with their life in the wild. The competition is a great way for young people to go out and experience the environment around them.

“There are some beautiful pictures in this year’s winners’ gallery, with real talent shining through. This year’s entrants have been really creative and that is what we wanted to see.”