Otter surprises Dorset coffee shop staff

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A curious otter has surprised staff at a Dorset garden centre by making an appearance at its coffee shop, one mile (1.6km) from the nearest river.

The creature could be seen calmly walking through the Golden Acres garden centre at West Parley, near Ferndown.

It was filmed by staff member Chris Wood on his mobile phone.

Otters almost disappeared from England in the 1970s, but the Environment Agency said earlier this week they were making a remarkable comeback.

Pesticides routinely used three decades ago brought otter numbers to near extinction levels.

Now many of those chemicals have been banned, the creatures have been seen again in rivers across England.

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