Seal spotted in Nene near Peterborough’s Town Bridge

Though it isn’t such a rare sight these days, spotting a seal anywhere near our fair city is always a treat.

Sajid Bhatti and his family were afforded one such treat as they were feeding ducks by the River Nene near town bridge on Thursday (April 11).

The savvy dad acted quickly when his son Numan noticed the photogenic seal pop up just yards away, pulling out his phone to catch the action on video.

Apparently by himself, the seal initially seemed a little confused, but then seemed to relax a little, even seeming to flash a brief smile to his smitten onlookers.

It is likely that the seal will have arrived in the city centre – as other seals have done recently in nearby Ferry Meadows – through a desire to find food.

"It is not unusual for seals to find their way into harbours or rivers, and they have been known to travel inland quite some distance,” explained an RSPCA spokesperson.

Though seals are hugely photogenic, the RSPCA is keen to stress that the public should not venture too close.

“We would ask the public to not get close to seals in order to take pictures or even selfies with them.”

“Seals are strong, powerful wild animals and have a very nasty bite which can cause horrible wounds”

While the RSPCA has no issue with people admiring the creatures from a distance, the charity believes seals are best left alone.

"Feeding them should be avoided,” the spokesperson said, “and please be vigilant when walking dogs.”