Watch: Family of otters spotted by River Severn in Shropshire

It has been a long journey, but otters have finally managed to swim back from the brink of extinction and into every county in England.

And a mother and her three young pups were recently spotted by Shropshire Wildlife Trust's (SWT) camera traps.

The trust says the return of otters to the water also shows that the River Severn is the healthiest it's been in years.

Stuart Edmunds, from SWT, said: "We're still trying to build up a picture of them but this is a mum and her three pups who will be with her for the first two years of their life while they find out where all of the eating hotspots are.

"Otters cover such a big area and can show up 10 or 15 miles away so often they are the same otters being spotted. However, they're still rare to see because there is probably dozens in the country, certainly not hundreds."

According to the trust, in the late 1950s and early 1960s otters underwent a sudden and catastrophic decline due to water pollution and habitat loss.

SWT launched the Shropshire Otter Project which has carried out habitat and management works, and relies on volunteers to track signs of otters to update the otter distribution map.

Stuart added: "The cameras more often than not pick up animals like deers, badgers and foxes, so we're incredibly lucky to see the otters.

"It's nice to know they're making a comeback and it shows the rivers are in a good condition. Otters are a good indication that the river is in good health and even though they're large carnivores, it's good for the population of fish and the whole eco-system."