Porlock oyster farming trial poles installed

Poles driven into the beach will have ropes attached for the oysters to grow along

Volunteers trying to revive oyster farming in a Somerset village have installed 12 wooden poles in the sea to grow the shellfish from.

The group is using £17,000 from Porlock Parish Council and Exmoor National Park to pay for a year's trial in the Porlock Vale area.

Harvesting shellfish died out from Porlock almost 100 years ago.

The oysters are grown on ropes strung from the wooden poles, which results in grit and barnacle-free meat.

Metal trestles made by a local forge will have bags of seed oysters hung from them to grow in the sea

Metal trestles anchored in the sea bed are also being used to farm the shellfish in mesh bags.

Porlock Bay was famous for its high quality oysters.

If the year's trial is successful, the group intends to set up a business.

Trestles are anchored in the sea bed ready to hang the bags of young oysters from