A pioneering scheme set up to rescue otters from extinction has itself been saved with the announcement of fresh sponsorship.

Now a new phase of the project will concentrate on the protection and improvement of wetlands across the Durham Wildlife Trust area, which includes County Durham and Wearside.

Overseen by the trust, the Otters and Rivers Project was part of a national programme which, over three years, has made massive strides towards improving riverbank habitats for otters, which are now present on the county's main rivers after an absence of many years.

National sponsorship ceased in March, but County Durham company The Cares Group has stepped in to ensure the future of the project in the area.

Based in Byers Green in south Durham, the company is a leading provider of social work services, including registered children's homes, fostering and custody care escorting, and has developed specialist building services and a training division.

Under the year-long agreement, The Cares Group will sponsor the project for £35,000.

Stuart Priestley, who is based at the Wildlife Trust's Low Barns reserve at Witton-le-Wear, in the Wear Valley, will continue to be the project officer.

Among endangered species which the new scheme will help are water vole, threatened with extinction nationally, and native white-clawed crayfish.

Richard Wood, chief executive of Durham Wildlife Trust, said: "Durham Wildlife Trust is extremely grateful to the Cares Group for this wonderful sponsorship agreement.

"It means that we can build upon the work of the past three years and extend it to cover a wide variety of wetland species."

Dave Cassie, who owns the Cares Group, said: "The whole ethos of our company is about care, so supporting clean rivers, wildlife and the environment, as well as the people we work with, makes perfect sense."