A seal was spotted taking advantage of the flood waters some 40 miles from the sea at Sutton Gault on Sunday.

Jeanette Biggadike, her husband Brian and son and daughter Adam and Jemma, were enjoying a trip around Sutton Gault on Sunday when the mischievous creature popped up above the water, causing quite a shock.

The family, from Soham, were looking at the flood waters which have submerged large parts of the Gault and surrounding fields when the seal decided to get a closer look at them.

Despite being some 40 miles from The Wash, in Norfolk, where seals leave the sea and enter the river system, the animal seemed perfectly at home, swimming alongside the family for a few minutes before darting off again.

Jeanette said: “We were stood on the bridge looking at the flood water and the next thing we knew a seal popped up. We followed it for a while as it was heading towards Mepal.

“I’ve not experienced anything quite like it before, certainly not so close up. It just sort of popped up and rolled on its back. It seemed to have a tag on its tail, too.

“We kept on about it four hours because we just couldn’t believe what we had seen. It really made our day.”

In September last year, narrow boat owner Nick Ford captured images of a seal swimming alongside his boat on the River Great Ouse, near Littleport and, in January last year, a seal was spotted in the Great Ouse near St Ives.