EXCLUSIVE

POSSIBLE sightings of an otter could stop the Mottram bypass in its tracks, according to an environmental campaigner.

A naturalist friend of Advertiser wildlife columnist Sean Wood told him he had spotted "something the size of a small dog" while walking dogs one morning by the river Etherow.

Sean said: "He said he could hardly see as it was still pitch black, but just as he was about to call them off, something the size of small dog ran across his feet before shuffling into the grass and diving into the water. He said the silhouette was undoubtedly that of a good-sized adult otter.

"I knew otters were spreading north, especially since improvements to Derbyshire rivers and streams, and a young one was found dead on the road south of Buxton; but if these reports are correct it is fantastic news."

Sean and other campaigners will now carry out a survey to discover if there are European otters or great-crested newts, badgers and roe deer in the area, to persuade the Highways Agency to adopt a weight restriction on the A628 and ditch plans for the Glossop spur and the bypass.

The otter is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

The spur road was approved by High Peak Council planners last week and will probably be subject to a public inquiry - along with the linked Mottram Bypass - widely expected next year.

Sean added: "Contractors for the spur have already recorded 'otter signs' in their environmental impact report, and I have to confess that I was sceptical, assuming they were those of the mink, which is a common mistake."

A Highways Agency spokesman said provision is made for otters on road schemes around the country, with rivers sometimes diverted under roads.

"We are widening the A500 in Stoke and building special otter lifts so they can cross the culvert to get between two water courses. During the planning stage we undertake extensive investigations on the environmental side to protect species and fauna," he said.

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