SHETLAND Sheep were officially no longer a rare breed after 30 years of conservation work to increase their numbers.

The news was broken to visitors at a celebration of the breed at Cotswold Farm Park, Guiting Power.

The Shetland Sheep Society, devoted to the care and protection of the animals, said there are now enough of them to justify dropping the "rare" status tag.

With 4,000 breeding ewes spread across the country, Shetland owners said the hardy breed was now back to stay.

"To have cast aside the rare breed status is a wonderful achievement for the Shetland sheep, and we are still seeing new flocks being established," said Alan Hill, chairman of the Shetland Sheep Society.

"Now we're seeing renewed interest from commercial sheep farmers," he said. "This is a very exciting time for Shetland sheep."

With over 40 different fleece colours, the most of any breed of sheep in the world, the Shetland is highly prized by the clothing industry.

Despite their commercial appeal, however, a predominance of white sheep in the Shetland Isles' flocks in 1974 threatened the vast range of colours that made the Shetland distinctive.

Having identified the problem, the Shetland Sheep Society worked with its 400 members to spread the breed across the country and secure its diversity of colours.

One of the largest flocks of Shetland Sheep is kept at Cotswold Farm Park.