LEGOLAND Windsor is to unveil a new £8m attraction this summer, called Atlantis Submarine Voyage.

Part of a wider £30m investment by parent company Merlin Entertainments Group, it will be the first LEGO-themed underwater ride in the world. Travelling aboard custom-built, 14-seater LEGO-themed submarines, families will voyage into a 1,000,000-litre (220,000gal) tank featuring more than 50 species of rare sharks, rays and tropical fish.

Nearly 100 bespoke LEGO brick models and features are being hand built to bring Atlantis to life, equating to around 2,683 hours of work by the company's model building team. The new attraction is expected to create over 50 jobs for the park, including a displays curator and two aquarists specifically for the aquarium.

Sue Kemp, divisional director of LEGOLAND Windsor, said: "Atlantis Submarine Voyage represents a unique partnering of a LEGOLAND park with Sea Life - Merlin's aquarium brand - and will offer families something they've never seen before." Regular research projects will be carried out at the new aquarium and education programmes will also be offered.