AN animal has been found dead inside a bag on the side of the road in Hoylake this morning.

Wirral’s RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes was called to Melrose Avenue today following reports from members of the public.

The animal in question was a severely decomposed adult otter, discovered close to the train tracks.

Inspector Joynes said: “It's a bit of a mystery as to what has happened to it.

“Due to how severely decomposed the Carcass we are unable to do any post mortem tests which may be able to find a cause of death and establish if there has been any foul play.

“It could just be that this poor animal wondered onto train tracks and was unfortunately killed.”

Wirral Globe:

How the otter ended up near the track or its cause of death remains unclear

The number of sightings across Wirral increased significantly in 2010, with an annual report from that year indicating otters were found in every region of England.

Credit for increased sighting is given to the many rivers Wirral and Cheshire have.

Anthony added: “I think if there are otters coming to Wirral then hopefully it can be an indicator that there is sufficient food and clean water courses that are abundant with life enough to attract them.

“If otters begin to thrive it would say a lot about the local area.”