THE Bolton branch of the RSPB has raised £4,000 to help maintain a bird sanctuary in Lancashire.

The RSPB has brought in giant machinery to begin sucking a deep broth-like residue from the bed of its Leighton Moss Reserve's extensive meres.

The thick substance is called gloop and was formed by many years of decaying plant life.

Last year, the Bolton group of the RSPB donated £3,000 and this month they donated another £1,000 to the Gloop Project.

If fundraising continues at the same pace in Bolton, another £2,000 will be added this year.

The reserve, near Silverdale, is a magnet for a huge range of birds and one of Britain's few breeding areas for the rare bittern. The gloop ruins water quality and affecting the aquatic and bird life.