MOOR Otters are set to return to Dartmoor National Park next summer — and this time they’ll have company.

Dartmoor National Park has announced that ita hugely successful Moor Otters arts trail will be coming back in 2020.

From May to October visitors can expect to see more than 80 sculptures, each individually designed and decorated by artists and local talent, dotted across Dartmoor and surrounding areas.

This time, the otters will each be accompanied by their cub and there will also be some special surprises and competitions.

With the locations spread across the moor and further afield people will be able to find, learn about and interact with the sculptures.

In real life, otters have made a comeback on Dartmoor over the last 18 years. The Moor Otters arts trail celebrates the creatures that love to play in Dartmoor’s rivers.

People flocked to Dartmoor to spot the first Moor Otters, in 2017. Highlights included innovative designs such as the Sherlock Holmes-inspired Elementary My Dear Otter, Wistman’s Woody and the Harry Potter-esque Potter Otter.

In 2020 people will be encouraged to explore the trails either by walking, cycling, running or using public transport.

The sculptures have been specially commissioned and created by Jolly Roger Ltd in Bovey Tracey which provides a unique canvas for creativity, fun as well as space to share bespoke messages.

Dartmoor National Park Authority chair Pamela Woods said: ‘It has been fantastic to see the money raised by the first Moor Otters go back into projects that directly benefit Dartmoor and its incredibly important landscape, so we are very excited to announce that Moor Otters will be coming back in 2020.

‘To celebrate all that Dartmoor offers, to encourage visitors to explore, learn and be mindful, and to raise funds to look-after and conserve Dartmoor, we are inviting artists and businesses to join us in creating Moor Otters public arts trail 2020.

‘We are very keen to hear from artists or businesses who want to get involved. We had incredible support in 2017 and hope that we can go further again in 2020.’

In 2017 Moor Otters raised £60,000 for Dartmoor conservation and education projects.

At the end of summer all Moor Otters will be gathered back together and exhibited as a collection. Twenty will become Golden Moor Otters and will be sold at public auction to raise funds for Donate for Dartmoor which supports a variety of projects.