A FURRY customer has popped into a West Parley coffee shop.

The otter joined the queue at the Golden Acres garden centre at around noon on Monday, much to the surprise of the café’s diners.

But before he could get his paws on a cappuccino, staff sent him on his way and he left with his tail between his legs.

Worker Chris Woods said: “All the customers around couldn’t believe it. Three colleagues and I saw it sitting in the entrance and one of us went round to shoo it out so it wouldn’t go in any further and get panicked.

“Robins come in and sit down and we see the odd fox around the site, but this is by far the most interesting animal we’ve ever had.”

The sales assistant added: “We are about a kilometre from the River Stour and there are no other real streams nearby, so it travelled quite a way – maybe it was because we had tuna mayonnaise jacket potatoes on the menu.”

The Daily Echo recently reported that otters inhabit every river in Dorset, and numbers are currently at their highest level for over half a century. See the Related Link below for more.