A new island designed to attract breeding terns and gulls has been created at Saltholme RSPB.

Chris Francis, site manager at the Durham reserve, said staff had “missed the chaos and noise” of the colonies after they were hit by bird flu last year.

He said: "The new islands will help these birds recover their numbers again and, by spreading them out across different breeding sites, reduce the risk of losing birds to avian influenza and other threats in the future.