OTTERS have been spotted in The Maltings.

Salisbury's resident otters have once again been caught on camera in the River Avon.

Photographer James Fisher recently snapped these pictures of the cute mammals swimming, and even hunting, in the river.

Salisbury Journal: A successful huntA successful hunt (Image: James Fisher)

This gallery shows eight cute photos of otters in The Maltings, click the above image to scroll through.

According to the RSPCA, Otters spend most of their time in rivers, ponds and wetland habitats, they’re very good at hunting underwater and mostly eat fish, shellfish, crustaceans, as well as some small mammals, amphibians and birds. They can eat up to a kilogram of food each day. 

Although otters are usually active at night, it’s becoming more common to see them out during daytime too.Salisbury Journal: Adorable otter spotted in The MaltingsAdorable otter spotted in The Maltings (Image: James Fisher)

Otters are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. This means it’s an offence to wilfully kill, injure, capture or disturb otters except under licence.

It’s also illegal to damage, destroy or stop them from accessing their breeding sites or shelters, even if the otters aren’t currently using them, or to disturb them while they’re sheltering somewhere.

For more information, head to https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/wildlife/otters