A CANOEIST had a close encounter with a seal near York.

Ten-year-old Will Holmes was practising his canoeing skills on the river at Moor Monkton, when he felt a nudge to his canoe.

Looking down, he saw the nose of what looked like a grey seal. It had come up to his boat and given him a push.

The encounter occurred close to the confluence of the Rivers Nidd and Ouse, and the seal is believed to have used the Ouse as a highway from the sea to inland North Yorkshire.

It was the latest in a series of sightings of seals in rivers near York this spring. Last month one was seen in the River Foss, and at the beginning of this month a seal was spotted on a stretch of the River Ouse near Bishopthorpe Palace. The most famous seal to venture inland to North Yorkshire was Sammy, who took up residence in Linton Lock in 2002 and stayed there for several months.

Seals are traditionally found on sea coasts or at sea, but are not uncommon inland. The River Ouse is tidal as far as Naburn Lock.