Fish rescued from Worcester Racecourse

About 50 large fish stranded on Worcester Racecourse after recent flooding have been rescued by the Environment Agency.

The city was badly flooded earlier this month as the River Severn reached its highest levels in the area since agency records began.

Dave Throup, from the Environment Agency, said: "The last of the waters are receding now and we check it as a matter of routine. We found some pretty big fish yesterday, so we're getting them out in a bit of a rush before they suffocate."

Mr Throup said large bream and about 20 pike, weighing up to 15lbs (6.8kg), had been found.

Unusually, the agency said no small fish had been found and rescuing the larger pike had been a challenge.

All fish were weighed and measured before being released.

Mr Throup said it was less common for fish to become stranded during winter floods because they are usually less active.

All fish found were rescued successfully and there were no casualties, the Environment Agency said.

Once checked over, the fish were released back into the River Severn.