A school has come up with a poetic new way to pass the time for people who call the switchboard and are put on hold.

Belfairs High School, in Leigh, has a recording of two pupils reciting poetry while callers are put through to the right department.

Former BBC Essex man Anton Jarvis now works at the school and helped the pupils record the poetry, which they wrote as part of their English class.

The voices currently on the system are Craig Twitchetts and Lottie Ramsay, both 14, and Mr Jarvis said he hoped other students would be put on soon.

He said: "We thought it would be a good idea to have some of the students on there while people were waiting, rather than just having music.

"The recording has to be quite short as people normally aren't on hold for very long."