Teachers and staff at a St Albans school ditched chocolate for a month and raised more than £700 for charity.

Sixteen employees at St Albans High School for Girls took on the British Heart Foundation’s Dechox challenge and avoided eating any chocolate for the whole of February.

They initially wanted to raise at least £120 towards the charity, which funds research in heart and circulatory diseases, but actually collected £715.60.

Chemistry teacher Abbie Winters said: “I’m a true chocoholic and I struggle to go a couple of days without craving it.

“Over the Christmas period, my colleagues and I had indulged in one chocolate too many and after seeing Dechox advertised, we decided that this was a great opportunity to raise money for a brilliant cause whilst helping to put our mental strength to the test.”

She said it was “a lot harder” than she thought it would be.