The sands of Cornwall are scattered with Lego pieces, including the plastic cutlasses, dragons and daisies that were lost 17 years ago into the ocean about 32 kilometers off Land's End. All these Lego pieces were carried by the container ship Tokio Express in February 1997, but a hit from a large swell led to the loss of a metal shipping container that had all the Lego pieces enclosed.

Experts believe that thousands of the toys have been released from the seabed or sand dunes because of recent storms. Beachcombers are very excited to hunt for the brightly colored models among seaweed and stones.

As many as 353,264 miniature daisies are listed in the lost cargo. These are now being witnessed in clusters of twos or threes on the Cornish sands. The rarer black octopuses and green dragons are on the top of the list.

Families and children are rushing to the beaches ever since they heard the news of the Lego jetsam spread. Charlotte Arnold, 31, has a very good time on Great Western Beach in Newquay yesterday. Her son Kieran, seven, is in love with Lego and looking for them desperately.

Tracey Williams, from Newquay, said some of the pieces are not visible to naked eye because of their very small size. The witches' brooms appear like twigs.

"I pick the beach for litter every morning and found a piece of Lego last week. I thought it was strange but didn't think much of it until I heard about more being found", said Graham Cheney, owner of The Sand Bar on Great Western Beach.

The most likely possibility behind the wash up of Lego on any beach in the world is strong sea current, said Curtis Ebbesmeyer, a US oceanographer.