IT'S official – otters are returning to the Forest of Dean after an absence of many years.

Forest of Dean Conservation Officer and Review wildlife columnist Sarah Killingback confirmed that positive signs had been found in the Soudley Brook.

"They have only arrived recently, within the last six weeks," she said. "That was the last time we checked the area and there were certainly no signs then."

She said fresh otter spraints – markings of dung left by the animals on prominent rocks in the river – had come to light in a fresh search carried out as part of the River Severn Otter Project.

"They have come up from the Severn, where there are growing reports of them returning – they are also entering the Stroud Valley on the other side of the river," she said.

"It is early days yet but it is very exciting. In the next few weeks we will be looking at the rivers systems through the Forest making sure that all culverts and ways under roads are clear and not blocked with debris, wire or grilles so that the otters can have safe passages from traffic."

Road kills remained the biggest setback to the full recovery of the otter population, which is being monitored in a national programme.

She urged anyone who knew of blocked or obstructed road bridges and culverts to get in touch with her urgently so that she could alert the county highways department to clear them.

She said the otters had been steadily moving down the River Severn from Wales and had reached the estuary quite recently.

"They are very territorial animals which is why they leave a spraint in prominent positions to keep rivals away," she said.

"The spraint contains material they would have been eating, so there will be fish scales and bones in it and it may smell fishy. It is quite possible they could be breeding – they breed all the year round so this could be happening now."