The first beaver family to live in the city of London in 400 years is thriving – and may well be reproducing at the Paradise Fields in Greenford, Ealing, the nature reserve where they were introduced seven months ago.

You can hear the road and see high-rise flats from their new home on the Capital Ring footpath, but none of this seems to have bothered the beavers. Their first dam – one of five they’ve created – was to create deep water before they have to cross the footpath, which runs through the site, says Dr Sean McCormack,  project lead on the Ealing Beaver Project.