Otter with plastic cable wrapped around neck to be freed amid fears for its life

Animal was seen in the River Stour at Blandford in Dorset

The otter, thought to be a male, is at risk of drowning if the plastic cable tie becomes caught underwater (UK Wild Otter Trust/Twitter)

A charity is planning to capture an otter seem swimming in a river in order to remove a plastic cable tie caught around its neck.

The animal was spotted with the litter caught over its head in the River Stour at Blandford in Dorset.

Dave Webb from the UK Wild Otter Trust (UKWOT) said there are fears the animal, believed to be a male "could drown or choke" as the plastic tie could get caught underwater.

According to the BBC the trust said it was seeking permission from Natural England, the government’s adviser for the natural environment, to capture the otter and remove the plastic.

On its Twitter account UKWOT said: “The cable tie is not a fashion accessory. Discarded waste can kill our #wildlife! Please look out for #PlasticPollution on your patch and pick it up.”

The otter’s plight comes as the television series Blue Planet 2 has highlighted the impact of plastic on the environment.

A recent episode contained a section on pilot whales suffering from poisoning caused by the ingestion of plastics.

An estimated 12 million tonnes of plastic waste enters the world’s oceans each year.