Thousands of honeybees have been removed from the brickwork of a Grade II listed-building.

The colony was extracted from the exterior wall of Elmfield Hall in Gatty Park, Church, and relocated.

It is estimated between 5,000 and 8,000 bees had made their home just below the roof of the building, which was constructed in the 1850s.

The colony was spotted after it began sending out swarms of bees from the restricted space.

The honeybees entered the property through an air brick sitting above the second floor of Elmfield Hall, just below the height of the roof.

It is believed the colony have been in the space for at least two seasons as they were well-established within the air brick, having both food stores of pollen and capped honey built up.

The queen bee was newly mated, meaning the bees would have very quickly built up to a population of 20,000 if left, as she can lay up to 1,500 eggs per day.

The colony was successfully extracted and relocated following a collaborative effort between Hyndburn Council, Community Solutions North West and Pendle Environmental Services.

The team boxed up the live bees for transportation to a nearby apiary and they are thriving and building in numbers.

After the bees were removed, the remainder of the honeycomb was removed from the air brick to prevent any long-term issues and the brickwork replaced to seal the space from future infestations.

Cllr Marlene Haworth, leader of Hyndburn Council, said: “I would like to extend a warm thanks to everyone involved in this operation for offering such an effective response to the situation.

"Community safety is always a top priority for us at the council so we are pleased that this could be dealt with so swiftly, ensuring the safety of both the bees and the general public who use the facilities in and around Elmfield Hall on a day-to-day basis.”

A spokesman for Pendle Environmental Services said: “If left in situ, the colony would have continued to throw out swarms and the honeybees would also have the potential to cause damage to the building itself due to an ongoing build up of wax comb.

"Whilst well-established bee colonies may present problems for buildings, it is important to conserve the wild bee population to support local biodiversity and pollination, which is why the bees were relocated from Elmfield Hall to a new apiary."

Community Solutions North West (CSNW) is a local charity and social enterprise based at Elmfield Hall.