A FAMILY of Britain's smallest rodents have netted themselves a new home served to them by some of the world's best tennis players, reports Ruth Lythe.

The Aquarium of the Lakes colony of harvest mice is settling down into unusual new nests - four tennis balls, which in the past were used at Wimbledon.

This year, to save the creatures the effort of weaving their own spherical nests using grass stems and reeds - staff at the Newby Bridge Aquarium came up with the unusual idea of giving the mice tennis balls to live in.

Aquarium displays manager Scott Davidson explained that a colleague had a friend who was involved with the tournament who was able to locate some of the balls used at Wimbledon.

"When they first saw the tennis balls the mice didn't know what they were and started to avoid them. But after a while the mice started to get used to them and started to see them as a possible nesting opportunity," said Mr Davidson.

Harvest mice are Britain's smallest mammals - measuring only 5cm in length and weighing only ten grams. The tiny creatures are adept at scaling corn stalks and long grasses with the help of their long tails. They love tall, dense vegetation and reed beds.

Sadly, populations of the mice have fallen dramatically in past years as more and more fields are built upon and the creatures are on their way to becoming one of Britain's most endangered mammals.

However, the Newby Bridge colony is thriving with a new litter of mice being born in the past few weeks and more expected in the coming days.

Their new homes, which are suspended above the ground with a tiny hole for access, are proving popular.

But because the 18-strong colony moves so quickly it is difficult for staff to keep count on how many are using a particular tennis ball at a time. Mr Davidson said he believed the unusual solution to the rodents' housing needs could be a world first. "We don't know if any other museum has done this before but if they haven't then they should," he said.

A spokesman for the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum said: "We think it is wonderful that tennis balls used in the tournament have ended up being used in such a way."