Blakesley, a catchment technician with South West Water, said the pair could not believe it when they saw the nest. He explained that they had just got their equipment out to start maintenance work.

The nest had been resting on floating matter and was at risk of toppling over and being destroyed, he said, adding: "We knew we needed to act quickly to save the eggs."

All seven eggs were safely recovered and Blakesley took them home to incubate.

The five survivors were now growing well and had been swimming in a paddling pool, he said.

"My daughter loves them and wanted to give them a home in her playhouse, so we repurposed it to let them roam outside during the warmer weather," he said.

"When the ducklings are older, we'll move them into a larger indoor enclosure before eventually settling them into an old chicken coop next to our stream and pond.

"We're hoping they'll make full use of the streams and ponds around our garden as they continue to grow and be right at home by the water.

"It's amazing to see how far they have come in the last few weeks."

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