THE riverbank is awash with speculation that Keith the seal may have given birth to a pup.

A family believe they spotted the popular Severn seal swimming alongside a young pup on Sunday morning.

Sarah Louise Moore’s 13-year-old son James was the first to spot the baby seal as his family enjoyed a spot of fishing at a riverside caravan park near Malvern.

Another seal spotter Darren Nightingale, from Shirehampton, Bristol, took this picture after seeing a seal south of Carrington Bridge on Sunday afternoon - close to where the family saw the pup.

After comparing it to other pictures of Keith, he believes the seal he saw looked a lot smaller and could have been a pup.

“Comparing the two pictures, it definitely does look like a smaller seal,” he said.

Mrs Moore, 32, from Halesowen, had been at the riverbank with her stepfather Rick Foster, son and husband Michael as well as another fisherman when they first spotted Keith surfacing near to where they were fishing.

A moment later, James jumped up shouting and pointed out the pup in the water.

Mrs Moore said: “We had spotted Keith because she appeared right in front of us and it was only moments later that we saw the pup.

“Unfortunately, the pup was too quick as I tried to get a picture and it disappeared back under water.

“It’s very cute but it seems a bit startled where as Keith is happy fishing and doesn’t seem bothered by anyone.”

There was speculation that Keith could have been pregnant when she first appeared in Worcestershire at the end of 2012 and seemed reluctant to leave.

Keith, named after a Royalist commander after first being spotted in Powick near a battlefield, is thought to be a common or grey seal.

Common seals typically give birth in June or July while grey seals give birth later in the year, around October.