A BUTCHER’S new boozy sausages are helping to boost water vole populations.

Customers at Bellingham Craft Butcher will be pleased to know Steve Lamb’s sausages are not made from water voles but pork and apple with ‘Ratty’ beer, crafted by the First & Last Brewery in Elsdon.

A percentage from each sausage sale is being donated to the Restoring Ratty project, which is working to reintroduce water voles to the Kielder Water and Forest Park area of Northumberland.

The beer was first brewed in 2018 and 20p from every bottle sold will go to the project.

Steve said: “Pubs and restaurants have started buying them and customers seem to like them too.”