WHEN Tom Barker opens his shop on Saltburn's Prince's Street next week he will be taking the first step of turning his hobby into a dream business.

Mr Barker has kept Japanese koi carp in a pond at his Brotton home for years, and believes that his personal interest in the fish and knowledge of them makes him the ideal person to help others with an interest in keeping these gentle fish.

The fish in Mr Barker's shop will come from the world's best koi carp breeders in Japan and will all be blood relatives of last year's Japanese grand champion.