Delighted office workers watched with joy as ten adorable ducklings were hatched and then took a leap of faith - from a hanging flower basket.

Staff at van conversion company Fleetshields, in Colchester, Essex, were surprised to return to work after the Easter weekend to find one of the hanging baskets empty, with flower petals scattered on the ground.

And they couldn't believe their eyes when they peered into the basket - to see a few tiny eggs nestled inside.

And operations director David Waterman, 49, said: "It was fantastic to watch. It was about 30 minutes of absolute joy as they all leapt from the nest.

"We'd set up wildlife cameras outside to keep an eye on the mother duck as she incubated her eggs - so we all feel a bit like we've become wildlife experts over the past few weeks.

"It's been a magical five weeks, getting to see the process from the beginning."