A young otter cub found on August 10 alone and crying out for his mother is recovering after being taken in by the RSPCA.

A member of the public spotted the poor animal at a stream near Windermere and called the RSPCA after they noticed the cub remained there for several hours.

RSPCA inspector, Martyn Fletcher, attended the scene and was concerned when the baby otter did not move or attempt to escape when approached. He managed to capture the cub and take him to a nearby vet.

And over a week on the cub seems to be doing much better, now nicknamed "Windy" after the lake close to where he was found.

“Windy seems to be quite lively now in our care so his condition will be monitored and cared for until he is ready to be released back into the wild,” Fletcher said.

The cub was transferred to RSPCA’s Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre where he will be monitored before being returned to the wild when he is old enough.

Mr Fletcher said: “I have no idea why the otter was alone and wonder if his mother has been killed, perhaps in a road accident.

“Windy himself seemed in good health but there was clearly something wrong with him as the person who spotted him said he did not move from the spot where he was sitting for a few hours.

“Checks showed he was in good condition and of a good weight… but he did have flystrike, and if the eggs had hatched he would have had maggots in his body and wouldn’t have survived.

“I am grateful to the member of the public for reporting this to us when he did… rescuing and rehabilitating animals like this is such an important part of what we do as a charity.”