A project to trap and kill every American mink in the country has been hailed as a success as the number of threatened water voles in the Norfolk Broads has bounced back.

Efforts to eradicate mink - carnivorous mammals belonging to the same family as weasels, otters and ferrets - began in Norfolk in 2003.

The invasive species was introduced and bred for fur in the 1920s along with another rodent species called coypu.

North Norfolk News: The American MinkThe American Mink (Image: Supplied)

Both species bred quickly in the favourable wetland habitat of the Broads.

Nationally, mink were responsible for causing a 90pc decline in water vole populations, which led to the extinction of the species in many areas.

The last remaining coypu were eradicated in 1989, but mink remained at large.

In the first two-and-a-half years of the Waterlife Recovery East - formerly Norfolk Mink Project - initiative, almost 300 mink were trapped on the River Wensum alone.

Now, with only seven mink caught in Norfolk this year, project leaders believe the species is close to being eradicated across the region.

North Norfolk News: File photo from 1959 of a man with a dead coypu. This American rodent was introduced along with the American mink in the 1920s, but coypu had been eradicated by 1989.File photo from 1959 of a man with a dead coypu. This American rodent was introduced along with the American mink in the 1920s, but coypu had been eradicated by 1989. (Image: Library image)READ MORE: Funeral of popular crab fisherman and community stalwart John Lee announced

Simon Baker, from the trust, said: “The support from partners and volunteers has allowed us to get to a point where mink have been almost eradicated from a core area of Norfolk and Suffolk that includes the Broads.

“We are cautiously optimistic therefore that mink eradication is possible.

“Our work with a dedicated community around our river networks, alongside recent additional funding and a scientific approach, is helping to protect wildlife and see water voles flourishing in the Broads again.”

North Norfolk News: Water voleWater vole (Image: Broads Authority)

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There are currently around 340 ‘smart traps’ and traps on floating rafts set in Norfolk.

When the trap door shuts in a smart trap it does not harm the animal caught inside, but triggers a text to a volunteer, who inspects the trap and releases anything other than mink back into the wild.

The Broads Authority has contributed to the programme since 2007.