'I couldn't believe my eyes' - Sightings of fish-snatching otters hits the dozens in Ulverston

ITV Border reporter Hannah McNulty has been to Ulverston where fish-snatching otters are blighting the town's ponds

A Cumbrian pond owner said he "couldn't believe" his eyes when he saw his fish stock being snatched by an otter.

Nige Cooper, from Ulverston, took to social media after witnessing otters raiding his garden to find there had been dozens of similar encounters nearby in recent weeks.

He told ITV Border: "I've lost about ten [fish] so far. I saw it briefly for two seconds.

"I couldn't believe my eyes that I saw an otter in my garden pond chasing my fish. I couldn't believe that. It was lovely to see but I wish it wasn't in my pond."

The number of otters have flourished in recent years after fears of extinction.

The mammals can hunt for food for up to ten miles - with their diet consisting of roughly 80% of fish, according to the UK Wild Otter Trust.

Nige Cooper discovered other areas where otters were sighted. Credit: ITV Border.

In order to stop otters from climbing into his pond, Nige has been speaking to experts on how to deter them away.

He said: "I put some chicken-wire rolled up against the fence there because it's only a four foot fence.

"I witnessed the other night that an otter can go up and over a four foot fence with no problem whatsoever. So we put that up after that otter came in.

"I haven't seen the otter since, hopefully that might have solved it a little bit."

The 61-year-old stresses he loves otters and often sees them in the wild, but has taken steps to keep them out of his garden because his fish losses have upset him.

Nige Cooper took to social media to find out if others had also experienced otters entering their ponds. Credit: ITV Border.

Peter Hoggarth said he has lost his entire stock of 45 fish - a number he has been building for years.

At first, Peter thought the culprits were either herons or rats. It was only until cameras were installed when he realised they were otters.

He said: "I think there must be more than one because they're stewing out on the road.

"They were over next-door's lawn, they were all over here. There was fish all over, fish carcasses, let's just say I was a bit annoyed."

A spokesperson for the UK Wild Otter Trust said "wildlife is being pushed away from its natural habitat, and displacement takes place due to human pressure".

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