Environment Agency officers had to act quickly to save hundreds of fish that became stranded in fields bordering the River Severn after flooding.

The river at Upton-on-Severn burst its banks, flooding a large area known at Ham Meadows. When the water subsided hundreds of spawning bream and some very large carp estimated at up to 40lb became trapped. An EA spokesman said that the bream, some of which were up to 30 years old, had moved into calmer water to spawn but that the operation was deemed a success with only a handful lost. There’s video footage of the operation on the BBC’s Hereford and Worcester website at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-17987507 )