A GARDEN centre has reported a significant increase in sales thanks to its aquatics centre.

Cherry Hill Garden Centre, near Middlesbrough, is taking on three full-time members of staff and a number of seasonal workers.

The aquatics centre, which stocks tropical fish, tanks and equipment, makes up a third of all sales.

Manager Colin Skeoch said: "We specialise in the tropical fish breeds discus and cichlids of which we are one of only a few stockists, hence we have customers traveling from Plymouth, Scotland and the Lake District just to visit our fish centre."

Cherry Hill was established by Norman Wall in 1963 and is now run by his two daughters, Janet Summers and Judie Livingstone, and his son-in-law, Paul Stamp.

In recent years, the nursery, in Stokesley Road, has quadrupled in size and at peak season employs about 30 people.

Ms Summers said: "We never imagined how popular the aquatics centre would become and we certainly didn't expect it to add such value to the business as a whole.

"Our range of tropical fish has introduced our garden centre to a range of different customers who might not have ever visited us in the past."