TEN years ago, this week, the world’s largest fish oil experiment into academic performance concluded.

About 3,000 teenagers across County Durham became guinea pigs in the experiment to see if the supplements improved a child’s academic performance.

Education chiefs at Durham County Council believe that, while the results of the study are not definitive, they could justify more clinically-based scientific trials to determine whether fish oil supplements boost educational attainment.

Dave Ford, head of achievement for Durham County Council's Children and Young People's Services, said: "We have always maintained that if the outcome was positive, it would then be for scientists to examine in more detail.

"The findings of our study suggest it may now be worth them following it up in more depth through proper clinical trials."

Also, that week, motorists thought they had discovered a new breed of farm animal when they saw blue sheep grazing in the countryside.

The flock’s farmer who asked not to be named said that the tups' chests were marked with blue dye which is transferred to an ewe when she is serviced, so the farmer knows which females are "in lamb".

He said: "They do look unusual.

"They get a bit bored before they get let out and start fighting with each other.

"That's how they start covering each other in blue dye, while the ewes just get a bit of blue on their backs.

"If you look closely, the all-blue ones are the daddies."

The farmer, whose tinted tups were spotted in a field outside Dudley, North Tyneside, added: "I'm going to get my leg pulled around here about this."

Also, that week, a council came under fire after spending thousands of taxpayers’ money on wheelie bin stickers.

Wear Valley District Council stuck labels on 12,000 of the15,000 garden waste bins.

The stickers marked "garden waste only", were intended to prevent binmen from confusing the bins with those intended for household refuse.

Labour members of the council last night accused the council's ruling Lib Dem group of trying to save face by ushering in an over-complicated scheme which has been branded "half-baked" and "crackpot".