A unique school project has become a good catch for East Yorkshire's famous chalk streams.

Pupils from Cherry Burton Primary School, near Beverley, have been rearing wild brown trout in their classroom.

The youngsters released the baby fish into the wild at Scorborough Beck, which is part of the network of chalk streams yesterday.

Excited seven and eight-year-olds watched the fish swim off in the crystal clear water of the beck, which is fed by natural springs.

The school has been working with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT) and East Yorkshire Chalk Rivers Trust (EYCRT) on the important project over the past six months.

Eight-year-old Harvey Toffolo, said: "We got a lot of trout eggs, and it was great to see them hatch out into fish.

"I think it is really good to see the fish swimming around in the stream, but I will miss them being in their tank in the classroom."

The green-thinking children took charge of their own fish tank, complete with a specialised chiller and pump, at the end of January.

They then monitored the temperature of the tank and watched as the eggs hatched and changed into tiny trout fry, known as alevins.

Pupils and their teacher then changed the focus to learning how to feed the fish, monitoring water quality and allowing them to grow.

But the highlight was abandoning their desks on a lovely sunny day to clamour into the beck to release the fish at Scorborough, near Leconfield.

Eight-year-old Gemma Underwood said: "I liked getting involved with the project in the classroom because we all got chance to feed the fish."

The trip to Scorborough gave the youngsters the chance to learn more about the fragile ecosystem and wildlife of a chalk stream, as well as stocking it with a new generation of brown trout.