PUPILS at a Worcester school have created robots capable of performing like champion athletes.

The 13 and 14-year-olds at Blessed Edward Oldcorne RC High School, in Timberdine Road, have been competing in the BBC's Techno Games.

The children have been busy working after school on their robots since March.

More than 650 robots from across the country were entered in the games and two of the pupils' designs made it to the last eight in two of the categories.

Sir Lobbalot, a powerful catapult able to throw a 16lb Olympic shot, came fourth. Eruptor, a six-legged articulated machine, came eighth in the sprinter-walking heats.

The pupils also entered Racer, another sprinter built entirely by Mahbubur Chowdhury, and Piranhabot - a swimming machine.

Rick Jarvis, a member of the school's technical support staff, helped the young roboteers.

Paul Taylor, the head of the school's design and technology department, said he was very proud of the pupils' achievements.

"I'm frequently impressed with the creativity, ingenuity and dedication shown by our young people in design and technology," he said.

The BBC Techno Games will be shown as a series of 10 programmes in March next year.