TWO otter cubs who were 'crying' on the bank of a rhyne have been rescued by a wildlife charity.

Volunteers from Secret World Wildlife Rescue were called to Cross Rhyne in Weston-super-Mare this week after a member of the public reported seeing a crying otter cub on the bank.

While the person was on the phone to the centre's reception supervisor, Marlies Hebdon, the person noticed there was another otter cub on the bank.

The centre's volunteer response driver, Cindy, was sent to the scene and when she arrived she found the cubs 'crying and scuttling' along the bank of the rhyne with no adult otter to be seen.

The cubs appeared to be uninjured so Cindy and the member of the public who reported the incident set about catching them and putting them into a crate so they could be taken back to the rescue centre.

But when Cindy arrived back at her vehicle the battery had died but she was soon back on the road thanks to help from Dage Motor Services.

A spokesperson for Secret World Wildlife Rescue, said:"On admission to our centre, the cubs were assessed by Laura Benfield, head of animal care at Secret World.

"They were found to be two males in good health and estimated to be about six weeks old.

"They are being fed regularly by Laura who has fallen in love with them. Who wouldn’t?

"Once they are weaned, in about 2 weeks’ time, they will be eating young trout, and our animal carers will have a ‘hands off’ approach in order to keep them wild.

"Their rehabilitation will take from 12 to 18 months, and each otter costs £5,000 for their entire stay due to the amount of fish they eat and the amount of metered water used in keeping their pond clean".