Planning row over otter hotspot

Developers want to build three large log cabins by the river

A family of otters is at the centre of a planning row at a north Lancashire riverside beauty spot.

Local residents said if three large log cabins were built at the Crook O'Lune the animals would be driven away.

Proposals to build the cabins - to be used by fishermen and tourists - have been submitted to Lancaster City council, which has the final say.

The otters have built a holt on the River Lune, which is believed to be a sign of good water quality.

Councillors will discuss the change of land use planning application at a committee meeting on 8 October.

Local resident Erica Sarney is against the proposals.

"There are not many areas in the county that are like this, that are so beautiful and so undisturbed," she said.

"I feel that if this development goes ahead it will lead to the demise of the whole area."