Beavers are to be released at two National Trust sites despite opposition from farmers to their reintroduction.

Wildlife experts believe the animals can alleviate flooding, as they create dams at the top of rivers which slow water flow.

Beavers were once common in Britain but were eradicated in the 16th century as they were hunted for their fur and an oil they secreted which was a major component of cosmetics.

Now, they only exist in a couple of trial schemes in England which are being monitored by scientists, as well as a small wild population in Scotland where they were illegally introduced.

However, the National Trust has now been given the go-ahead by government agency Natural England to release beavers into two of its reserves.

The schemes will see two pairs of the aquatic mammals each released into a separate enclosure at Holnicote, Somerset.

A third pair will be released into a fenced enclosure at Valewood on the Black Down Estate, on the edge of the South Downs in West Sussex.

This is the first time the National Trust has released beavers on to its land, and it hopes the pairs at the two sites will help create a thriving habitat and increase the range of species and wildlife numbers.