A SEAL has been photographed lounging at a lock near Kingston amid a rise in the number of seal sightings on this stretch of the river.

The long-muzzled visitor - believed to be a harbour seal - was spotted by Environment Agency staff member Kathryn Renshaw at Teddington Lock on Saturday 19 February.

Last week, a large seal was spotted near Kingston but unfortunately no photo was taken in time to capture its visit.

Investigating further, it appears that multiple seals have visited this stretch of Thames from Hampton Court to Teddington Lock over the past four weeks.

This is according to the Zoological Society of London's (ZSL) #inthethames map which asks people to log their sightings of marine mammals in the Thames Estuary.

Both harbour and grey seals have been spotted on the Teddington and Kingston riverside - but it is also possible that one seal is being mistakenly categorised as a different species.

The recent seal sightings on the ZSL map range from tantalising glimpses to in-depth eyewitness accounts.

A user named Richard spied the mammal climbing up Teddington Lock's weir after surfacing near his boat, earlier this month.

Another user, Stefanie, saw the seal near Raven's Ait in Surbiton and said it "Spent most of its time creeping up on the geese and gulls.

"It then swam up towards kingston bridge where it continued to mess around with the birds."

On Saturday 19 February the seal was seen asleep on the boat ramp on the central island of Teddington lock, by a user named Douglas.

Last year, a ZSL survey suggested the Thames seal population had fallen in the past two years.

However, a later report showed that over the long-run, the improved cleanliness of the water had revived the ecosystems - attracting seals, sharks and even tiny seahorses

Last year 'Freddie' the seal became a regular visitor to Teddington Lock where he won the hearts of locals for his friendly and curious nature.

The unlucky seal had to be rescued due to getting a fish hook stuck in his mouth, and later tragically died in a dog attack at Hammersmith bridge.

In 2022 so far there have been 52 recorded seal sightings over the whole Estuary - making this part of the river is something of a hotspot for the creatures.

Find out more and see the full ZSL map at sites.zsl.org/inthethames/

Spotted a seal in the Thames at Kingston? We'd love to see your photos! Send them to [email protected] and they could be featured in an article