SHELLFISH farming in Porlock has been awarded the highest hygiene rating by the Food Standards Agency.

The Porlock Bay Shellfish Project is a trial scheme to see if it is possible for shellfish to be grown in Porlock Bay near Porlock Weir.

The £17,000 project aims to bring back the village's traditional trade of shellfish farming and to create jobs in the area.

The Grade A food rating means that the oysters do not need to be cleaned before eating and can therefore be sent directly to local restaurants.

Roger Hall, a member of Porlock Futures, the group behind the Porlock Bay Shellfish Project hopes that the business will be up and running “by mid-summer”.

He said: “That [the food classification] is the best there is and means our oysters are so clean that they can be eaten straight from the sea without the need for purification.

“We are only the second oyster site in the whole of England and Wales to get this A classification, the other one being in Kent.”

The regeneration group have also asked the Porlock Bay community if they would be interested in granting loans to help the fund the business in its early stages. So far, the group have received £35,000 in expressions of interest.

Mr Hall said: “We now have a lot of work to do to set up our Porlock Futures Community Interest Company and get ready to sell the oysters.”