YOU otter see it to believe it.

A couple in Cashes Green were left shocked and surprised after finding an otter in their garden, who went on to eat all three of their goldfish.

The mischievous mammal p-ottered 700-900 metres from the nearest water sources, Stroud Navigation and Ruscombe Brook, to The Stirrup in Cashes Green over the weekend.

On Friday night it gorged itself on two goldfish, Ronnie and Reggie, much to the surprise of owners Tony and Sharon Gardiner – says Tony’s mum Sheila.

“On Friday night it came and ate two of their fish, Ronnie and Reggie, so they put a stone over the pond to stop it, but it came back on Saturday and ate the last fish, Wilma,” she said.

“Apparently it was a whopper, on Saturday night my son Tony found it curled up on their doorstep.

“He tried to catch it but it got away, they called the RSPCA but they weren’t interested.

“Their dogs were barking at it, they were barking last night too so I think it came back.”

While otters are most frequently found on river banks and surrounding waterways, they are increasingly being found in town gardens, parks and churchyards around the country.

Sightings have been reported in the centres of Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and London.

The Wildlife Trust stated in 2008 that otters were established in at least 13 towns and cities, with over 100 sightings in urban locations.

RSPCA advise that if you find what you believe to be an abandoned baby otter: “Watch from a distance, ideally 24 hours (at least overnight), to see if the parents return.”