A team of 36 trainee soldiers marched to a North Yorkshire beauty spot to clear a pond.

The team from the Army Foundation College, in Harrogate, fulfilled their pledge to clear out a 300-yard ditch that had helped to supply the Green Pond, in Hookstone Wood, but had long since dried up.

Ankle deep in mud and armed with spades and rakes they set about clearing decades of rotting leaves, tree branches, old piping, rubbish and stones to free-up the vital water link.

Within a short time, water was flowing again into the Green Pond which has recently been dredged, with tons of silt and mud removed.

The youngsters were fulfilling a pledge in their "dig for victory" role to work on the task for the Hookstone Wood and Crimple Wood Preservation Group, which is the guardian of the wood, the last remaining part of the ancient Forest of Knaresborough.

Mary Lister, who helped to found the group, said: "It was quite amazing to see the young soldiers at work. Everything happened as if on oiled wheels and with military precision. There was certainly no shovel leaning and they did a marvellous job working in a long, snaking line as a remarkable team."

The task was also part of their community service for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, and the soldiers will return to dig out a further section of ditch.

The Green Pond and the adjoining Blue Pond were part of a millstone quarry from 1847 until 1897 and are deceptively deep. They are crossed by a living bridge of willow shoots, designed and constructed by the late Jamie McCullough to form a pathway between the two ponds.

The bridge's growth has been hit by drought and vandalism but restoration work has recently been carried out on the unusual structure.