A NORTH-EAST man is importing from the Land of the Rising Sun to turn a hobby into his dream business.

For years, Tom Barker has been keeping Japanese koi carp in a pond at his home in Brotton, east Cleveland, as a hobby.

Now, he has turned that interest into a business, because the fish attract so much attention.

Koi carp can grow up to 4ft and are peaceful fish, which can be trained to feed out of people's hands.

Mr Barker has set up his business in Saltburn, dealing in both ponds and fish, and he believes that it is the only koi carp business in the country.

The fish he is bringing over to Saltburn come from the world's best koi carp breeders in Japan, and all his fish are related to last year's Japanese grand champion fish.

But the fish can come at a price - beginners can pay about £10, but if their interest takes off, the bill can run into thousands of pounds.

The company recently gave a customer a quote for £25,000 and Mr Barker said he knew of people whose fish had cost more than their homes.

So the fish do not feel homesick, Mr Barker's business specialises in providing pond equipment based on a Japanese style.

Mr Barker said his interest in the fish and his knowledge of how much he had spent made him ideal to help other people.

"I think it will take off and, if I did not, I would not have gone into business with it, because it would not be viable," he said.

"I know the lengths people will go to for the fish - people regularly fly to Japan to buy good quality fish.