A CLITHEROE teacher looks set to catch the eye of anglers across the world with a book on the history of floats.

Keith Harwood, head of classics at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School, has written The Float, a 232-page history of float fishing from Roman times until the present.

The 50-year-old angling enthusiast, of Pasturelands Drive, Billington, was commissioned to write the book by Medlar Press in Shropshire.

The book, which took him three years to research and write, is being hauled in by angling enthusiasts across the globe.

Float fishing is the commonest form of fishing, with the float indicating when the fish has taken the bait, and numerous different types of floats have been developed over the centuries.

Keith, a regular contributor for angling magazines in England and America, said: "There are lots of different types of floats for different watercourses and types of fish.

"The majority of anglers float fish and Medlar Press thought a history of floats would be of interest to angling enthusiasts.

"Anglers are keen collectors and the book seems to be selling very well at home and abroad."

Keith grew up in Brinscall near Chorley and has been hooked on fishing since his grandmother gave him his first fishing rod aged seven.

He moved to Clitheroe in 1975 after graduating in classics from Hull University and has been teaching at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School ever since.

"I've been fishing since I was a child and have fished all around the world, including America and Canada, and I once caught a twenty-pounder at Loch Ken in Scotland," he said.

The Float is available from Medlar Press priced £45 or £125 for a limited edition leather-bound copy on 01691 623225.