PUPILS from a Blackburn High School braved the weather to learn about flooding during a field trip.

Pleckgate High School students met the Environment Agency to learn about rivers and flooding as part of a geography project.

Working with the agency’s Siddiq Patel, 60 students visited the Garstang flood gates, which help to hold back water during heavy rainfall and then, once the rain stops, slowly release it back into the River Wyre.

The Year 10 students had to tackle wet conditions and cold temperatures. Heather Swales, head of geography, said: “As part of the geography coursework we will go on two field trips and this was one of them.

“Rather than learn about it from a textbook they got to see the environment in real life and experience it which helped them.

“The weather was not kind but the students enjoyed the busy day seeing the source of the river and then seeing the changes in width, depth, speed and stone shapes as we travelled downstream.

“It really helps deliver the topic when they can see it in real life.

“The information about the flood gate from the Environment Agency helped the students and, with the bad weather, they turned on the news and saw them working.”

Student Alia Haider said: “I had fun measuring the river near the source and listening to the Environment Agency at Garstang.

“I did not know there were things like the flood gate that existed to protect people from flooding.”

While Karim Reda said: “There was snow at the top of the source.

“When we got to Garstang there was none and we could clearly see the river had got wider and deeper, just like the model we have learnt about.”

Hamza Ghani added: “The River Wyre changes so much over such a short distance from Abbeystead to Garstang - no wonder the lag time is just two hours.”