CLOUDS of steam billow into the air as jets of hot water gush into this section of the St Helens Canal, illustrating perfectly where the Hotties gets its name.

It is one of England's oldest canals, and a waterway that in its industrial heyday was used by to transport coal, glass and sugar out of town by barge.

In this picture, Anthony Liptrot captures local anglers fishing this section of water in the mid-80s.

And how many of those could separate myth from fact when it comes to tales of more exotic catches from this stretch, enhanced by the warmth spewed out from the Pilkington pipes?

The glassworks, adjacent to the canal, drew up water for their nearby works as part of the cooling process, before spraying the by now considerably hotter water back out, taking temperature up a few notches.

But was that warm enough for tropical fish? Anyone growing up in the 70s was told tales of more exotic fish thriving in the waters of the Hotties.

But how would they have got there? The talk was that they were dumped there after the closing down of a town centre pet shop.

The canal remains hugely popular among anglers, with carp, bream, roach, rudd and tench being the likeliest fish being hauled.