Conservation success story as otters sighted

Otters are once again being spotted on rivers in the Bath area.

The animals have been reintroduced into the South West in what experts call a "big conservation success story".

Fisherman David Brene, of Saltford, recently saw a pair at Bathampton.

He said: "I saw a head bobbing in the water, in the froth near the weir, and at first just dismissed it as being a dog.

"On closer inspection, though, I realised there were two otters who were swimming up and down the weir, I assume catching fish.

"I see lots of wildlife while fishing, but it was the first time I'd ever seen an otter in the wild."

James Field, of the Avon Wildlife Trust, said: "Otters have been a big conservation success story.

"In the 1970s and '80s their numbers had fallen to very low levels due to the amount of pollution in British rivers.

"From the late 1980s, however, things started to improve because of legislation that was put in place to improve the quality of Britain's river water.

"Sightings are becoming a lot more common but you are lucky to spot one as they are mainly nocturnal and cover large areas of the countryside.

"You do have a chance of seeing them though along most stretches of river in the Avon and Somerset area as the quality of the water tends to be quite good."