FOUR Hampshire friends have teamed up to create beautiful dresses from an unusual material – bras.

Judy Mepham, Wendy Groom, Christine Pudney and Kate Angel-Page modelled the eye-catching garments after a brainwave from Judy.

Judy, who lives in Cavendish Grove, Southampton, realised that the items of clothing are often thrown away when they could still be of use.

She asked around for women to donate their old bras and very soon had 14 bin bags containing 1,500 bras in her living room.

The leftover pieces will be donated to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance’s recycling drive.

But that is not all – she will even create a bright red flying suit for the air ambulance crews, which they have promised to wear.

Judy said: “It seems stupid for them not to go to good use and the paramedic has set me a challenge.

“He wants me to make him his red flying suit and at the moment I’m getting out bras to dye them red so that we can start to make the suit.

“He wants to run marathons in them.”