Despite gale force winds and driving rain battering Peterborough on Wednesday night, Sammy the seal, as he has been dubbed, reappeared in the River Nene.

The lone seal was first spotted swimming in the river at the back of Asda in Rivergate, Peterborough city centre, last Thursday, and delighted onlookers for days by catching fish in front of them.

But the playful animal disappeared from the public eye this week after attracting the attention of newspapers, radio and TV stations aross the UK.

Many feared he had swum back towards the Wash, where there is a large seal colony.

But, on his return Sammy even performed a few tricks for his admiring fans – knocking prawns into the air which had been thrown to him by staff at riverboat restaurant Charters.

Manager Dougie Hardy said: "The chef on the boat saw him and threw him a few prawns, which he was batting around in the river and into the air.

"He was also swimming up to the Town Bridge and then floating back down to the Asda bridge on his back. he looked like he was having a great time."

However, Sammy could be disappointed following the Environment Agency's decision to lift the flood warning for Peterborough.

Severe weather conditions in recent days led the agency to its issue, following heavy rain and winds of up to 70mph.

However, the river did not burst its banks, and water levels are returning to normal.

Environment Agency spokesman Richard Woollard said: "Clearly, if the weather conditions worsen and heavy rain falls, we could be on flood watch again. However, there is no flood warning for Peterborough at the moment. We have teams monitoring the River Nene."

But elsewhere in Cambridgeshire, the Great Ouse spilled into its flood plain through Huntingdon and St Ives during the last 48 hours.

However, Mr Woollard said: "This is fairly normal and there is no need for concern. No banks have burst, and we are monitoring the situation."

For flood warning information and advice, call the Environmental Agency's floodline on 0845 9881188.