Pupils at a school in the Lake District have been treated to a VIP tour of a wastewater treatment works in the area.

26 pupils from Coniston Primary School, aged between eight and 11, spent the day at the plant with a team from United Utilities.

They met the River Rangers responsible for testing the streams and lakes, as well as keeping the waterways tidy.

Dressed in high vis jackets and protective gear, the youngsters saw for themselves how water from 1,500 residents is processed daily, a figure rising to 10,000 during the high season.

Nicola Blackburn, a teacher at the school, hailed the informative trip.

26 pupils got the VIP treatment   (Image: United Utilities)

She said: "The United Utilities team showed us the different stages of the treatment process to explain how the used water that arrives is the colour of coffee and leaves looking crystal clear.

"It is so important that we teach the water customers of the future how to look after this valuable resource in our homes."

Richard Peacock, production manager from United Utilities who led the tour, spoke highly of his visitors, noting the significance of the trip: "This was the first time we have organised a trip like this at Coniston for school children.

"The group from Coniston Primary School were very well behaved and asked lots of sensible questions.

"They also gave us some useful feedback for how we could develop more 'see for yourself' tours like this in the future."