Teenagers from Horsforth have triumphed over their American rivals in an international rocket competition.

The four sixth formers at Horsforth School achieved success by blasting two raw eggs to a height of 742 feet and bringing them safely back to earth.

Ben Rayner, Robin Turnbull, Ashley Smith and Leo Nicholls had already beaten competition from around Britain earlier this year to win the UK Aerospace Youth Rocketry Chal-lenge.

And their skills and perseverance earned them a trip to Washing-ton where they visited the aerospace museum and watched the finals of the US rocket competition.

The boys have topped off their success by beating the top American team at the Farnborough International Air Show.

The enterprising teenagers designed and built their rocket pretty much from scratch, and it was fired by a powder that is similar to gun-powder.

In the competition at Farnborough, the teams had to aim for a height of 750ft - and return their rockets to earth within 45 seconds.

Horsforth School physics teacher David Mulvaney said the project had been student-led: "They did do this all on their own without much guidance from me because they are bright lads."

"I teach physics and I know how rockets work but I have never built a model rocket before - the lads have become the experts on that."

Mr Mulvaney said the boys had now been invited to an aerospace summer school at Cranfield University and would also be going to a science fair in Japan.