GIANT illuminated versions of Peter Rabbit, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle and Squirrel Nutkin are among thousands of Chinese lanterns being unwrapped at Longleat in preparation for their Festival of Light event.

The much-loved children’s characters will feature in a series of scenes recreating famous episodes from Beatrix Potter’s favourite stories to mark the 150th anniversary of her birth in 2016 at the event, which runs from November 11 - January 2.

The figures have been handmade by a team of artists from Zigong in China’s Sichuan province, which has been staging lantern festivals for more than 2,000 years.

Other highlights include a 20-metre-tall birthday cake to celebrate 50 years of Longleat Safari Park, a group of Longleat’s infamous monkeys dismantling a car and an avenue of four-metre-high lions.

There will also be a trio of huge porcelain elephants created from tens of thousands of Chinese plates, bowls, cups and spoons.

The event is set to be the biggest ever staged in the UK and will feature over 25,000 individual lights, 20km of silk, more than 30,000 bulbs and over 4km of LED lighting.