A FISHERMAN is celebrating after netting a Government grant to pioneer a new way of reducing wildlife deaths.

Angling coach Graham Walker's Litterbuggy disposes of waste fishing line and hooks, which prevents birds, hedgehogs and other animals getting killed or injured.

Mr Walker, who lives near York, won a Department of Trade and Industry grant to set up his company, Ecological Innovations, which will have the device on the market by the spring.

He was helped with advice from Business Link York and North Yorkshire.

Mr Walker said: "Up until now there has never been anything specific on the market to put discarded line into. Anglers have to change their hook line quite regularly as it often gets frayed or tangled up, but at the moment they only have two main options, neither of which is satisfactory.

"They can either cut it into pieces and leave it on the riverbank, which is time-consuming, or stuff it in their pockets or carrier bags. But this also takes time and the line often falls out of whatever receptacle they choose to put it into.

"My device provides a fast and efficient means of disposing of the line and other waste. It is basically a box with a series of brushes inside it that trap whatever is put into it. The response to the prototype has been fantastic among anglers who have tested it."