Mick Watson, a Durham policeman, has landed a national award for steering youngsters away from crime by getting them hooked on fishing.

PC Watson won acclaim from the angling community when the scheme was launched at Witton- le-Wear, near Bishop Auckland, at the end of April.

More than 80 youngsters - including ten girls - have joined Get Hooked On Fishing since its launch, and more than 300 are expected to join the scheme in the next two years.

PC Watson's work has been recognised by the Angling Times, the country's biggest fishing publication, which has named him the first winner of its Dick Walker Memorial Prize.

PC Watson said: "The Get Hooked On Fishing idea was hatched in the early hours of one morning when I was pursuing specimen carp.

"It is designed to stop youngsters from a cross-section of social backgrounds drifting into crime and disorderly behaviour by giving them a worthwhile hobby that will keep them out of harm's way.

"I am flattered to receive the award, which serves to acknowledge the hard work of the many people who have been involved in making the scheme the success that it is."