Dolphins filmed swimming next to boat in River Thames

A pod of dolphins swimming in the River Thames surprised an RNLI lifeboat crew in a rare sighting on Sunday, 25 February.

Gravesend crew members spotted the marine mammals swimming towards them at Northfleet.

They often see seals while out on the water but dolphins and porpoises are less common, station manager Ian Smith said.

RNLI crew member John Robinson said it was "incredible" to witness the two adults and a calf in the Thames.

The tidal Thames is home to 125 species of fish and marine and terrestrial mammals as well as internationally significant numbers of migratory and overwintering birds.