Sealife returns to the Thames

Bottlenose dolphins, seals, pilot whales and seahorses are among wildlife now reaping the rewards of a cleaner Thames.

Research by the Zoological Society of London shows the river is now home to a wide range of sealife previously unable to live in the Thames because of its dirty waters.

The past three decades have seen more stringent environment guidelines, causing a renaissance for the river - and the society today launched a census in a bid to catalogue the animals living in the Thames.

Information will be used to support conservation plans for all the animals that use the river and plug gaps in knowledge about the usage patterns of marine mammals in the area.

Last month a seahorse was discovered in the estaury - the first since 1976.

ZSL conservationist Alison Shaw said: "We are looking to involve the public as well as many other river users in this survey."