Rare fish restocked in reservoir

The fish were kept in "holding ponds"

Hundreds of rare fish have been returned to a Greater Manchester reservoir after a refurbishment scheme.

Almost four tonnes (3.8kg) of bream, carp, pike and tench were returned to Elton Reservoir in Bury.

The fish, which are rare due to their age and size, were moved to Leyland, Lancashire, while the work took place.

It could have taken more than a decade for a similar population to re-establish if they had not been returned.

'Pampered' fish

The fish were contained in Environment Agency ponds.

Darren Bedford, of the Environment Agency, said: "The fish were very well looked after by myself and British Waterways Senior Ecologist Becki Anderson over the three months.

"The fish were fed three times a week and had water quality closely monitored, even while we were on leave.

"The fish actually look to be in better condition than when they were removed from Elton having been quite pampered."

One of the Environment Agency's targets is to provide better fisheries so that more people have access to good angling.