A POD of dolphins has been spotted in the waters at Poole.

Mum Michelle Bailey from Poole said she was amazed to see the beautiful mammals while out on a fishing trip with friends on Wednesday.

Michelle, who works in catering, said: “I’m so glad I was asked to go at the last minute.

“The dolphins were all around us on the way out at 6pm and stayed in the distance for the whole duration.”

As the party aboard the Shar St Ives boat headed back towards the chain ferry at around 8.30pm, the dolphins swam on both sides of the boat.

Michelle said: “It was amazing.

“I've only seen sights like this in South Africa, where I used to live.

“It was very unexpected in Poole.”

And Bryan Sibley reported seeing more than 10 dolphins about a mile south west of Christchurch, at around 4pm.

Mr Sibley said: “We were sailing in near ideal conditions when we saw the pod heading towards us.

Three dolphins passed about 20 metres behind the boat, they appeared to swing close to have a look.”