A stroll along a stretch of restored river in north Norfolk enabled visitors to appreciate the significant improvement over the past 18 months.

The Stody Estate, near Melton Constable, has been working with a range of groups and official bodies to transform a 300-metre length of the River Glaven.

The project included adding bends, modifying the width and depth of the river, which was formally a long, featureless channel of water with limited wildlife appeal.

There are signs that the population of water voles has increased and staff from the Environment Agency detected larger brown trout in this upstream section.

About 50 members of the River Glaven Conservation Group, which was holding its annual meeting, were briefed by a number of experts about the project.

Speakers included Carl Sayer, who described some of the survey work on plants, beetles, water levels, fish, otters, and water voles, while Tim Jacklin, of the Wild Trout Trust, also briefed the gathering.

Ross Haddow, estate manager on the Stody estate, was delighted that several visitors who were also planning similar restoration projects were able to gain a few tips.

'Hopefully they were able to learn something,' he added.

'The river is starting to look the part.

It is very satisfying that it goes the way that you had hoped.'

Three members of the Environment Agency, John Clarke, Peter Marchant and Ros Wright (pictured above) also demonstrated electro fishing.

They caught crayfish, trout, pike, bullheads, and brook lamprey as they were watched by the group.

John Bailey spoke about angling and Nigel Simpson discussed catchment sensitive farming and Dave Weaver outlined details of the higher level environment scheme.