Over 5000 ducks of the bright yellow plastic variety made their way down Looe river for charity.

Crowds gathered on Looe bridge and lined the riverside on Saturday for the Great Looe River Duck Race.

Sponsors paid £1 a duck in the race which has been held since the 1990s.

Lions race marshal Andy French said: “We have 5500 ducks this year, so up 500. 

“It’s always a balance between getting them sold and what the weather is like. There’s a lot of disappointed people today because we’ve already sold them. If it had been raining, we’d have a lot left over.” 

Andy reminisces about the time gale winds going up the river sent them in the wrong direction much to the amusement of everyone watching. 

Happily conditions for today’s race are good and he explains the plan: “We have people in the water with a rope to stop them going between the boats, and another with a leaf blower.

“We’ve also got people with boxes in the water to catch the ducks and a net across so none of them go out to sea.”

Counting down from ten, two massive green sacks appear and a huge cheer goes up as the ducks are poured over the side of the bridge, and they’re off!

As the ducks start making their way, those watching do too, following them on their journey down a very low tidal river.

The first casualties need helping as several get stuck on the base of the bridge.

Mud flats in the centre of the river are the next obstacle for the ducks, racing to the finish line. Marshalls coax them back into the water to catch up with the front runners and they’re off again. 

The spectators hurry along the quayside to catch a glimpse of the ducks as they’re bobbing by pushed by a good breeze. 

After successfully negotiating the mud, the ducks avoid the crabbing lines along the quayside and before you know it the winners are being announced. 

First was duck 5042 winning Richard Day £1000 in prize money. Second place went to duck 3802 whose sponsor Janice Mills wins £200, third prize was duck 2784 sponsored by Sherry with fourth place going to duck 3329 whose sponsor David Owen wins £50. 

The remainder of the money raised gets distributed locally to charities. 

Duck wranglers - the technical term for the many Looe volunteers in the water herding the ducks - make sure all they are all retrieved from the river. 

One or two make a dash for the open sea in a final surge but to no avail. All secured, it’s off to storage until next year. 

No ducks were harmed in the delivery of this year’s race which was sponsored by Tencreek Holiday Park.