RARE native white-clawed crayfish facing a devastating plague have been rescued from the River Ribble.

Environment Agency staff rescued more than 450 of the small creatures - which look like mini lobsters - from the upper reaches of the river after it became contaminated with the infectious crayfish plague.

The crayfish taken from the river will form the basis of a new population which will be put back once the disease has passed through.

It has taken six weeks to prepare facilities to take the rescued crayfish and for the weather to be good enough for the rescue to take place. Water levels in the Ribble needed to be low enough for staff to wade in and pick the crayfish out by hand.

The rescued creatures were further upstream in an isolated area from where the original outbreak of plague was found, and have therefore been protected from the disease which is now travelling through the river.

Such is the devastation of the plague, it is expected the whole population of native crayfish in the river will soon be gone.

Ron Charnley, of Horton-in-Ribblesdale, has agreed to look after the crayfish on behalf of the Environment Agency for up to a year before they are reintroduced to the river.

Local farmer Mr Sutcliffe has agreed to allow the use of old fish breeding tanks on his land to keep the crayfish in.

Two separate groups of crayfish, a protected species, have been taken from different parts of the river and are being kept separately reducing the risk of plague infection destroying the entire captive population.

Crayfish plague travels as fungal spores, and can be spread by wet fishing gear used at infected sites.

Environment Agency ecology team leader Neil Guthrie said: "We would urge people to take extra care with hygiene when moving around river catchments to reduce the risk of spreading the plague further."

The crayfish will only be put back in the Ribble when the Environment Agency is satisfied there is no more risk from the deadly disease.