Shark spotted in Thames: Woman stunned as she spots shark 'around 5ft' swimming in River Thames

Charlotte Webb was walking near Hammersmith Bridge in west London on Monday (22 July) when she spotted a fin in the water. According to the Daily Star, Charlotte and her friend Olivia Kaliszewska couldn’t believe their eyes.

The 25-year-old said: "I had no idea sharks swam in the Thames. I thought it was fake or a bean bag floating along at first. My best friend Olivia said it was definitely not a shark and joked that it was a crocodile. It looked around 5ft which makes it a tope shark according to the comments.”

She shared the video on the social media platform TikTok with many likening the sighting to the plot of Under Paris which hit Netflix last month. In the film a scientist discovers a giant shark is hunting in France's River Seine.

She told the Daily Star: "I absolutely hate sharks so it just confirmed my decision to never go in the sea again. We carried on eating our sweet potato fries and thought it would be funny to upload it online."

A tope shark is a critically endangered animal that can grow up to 6ft 3in in length and they are considered harmless to humans. It is believed that they use the river as a nursery after giving birth.

Last August commuters in London were stopped in their tracks at the sight of the giant fins swimming down the River Thames and circling boats between Butler’s Wharf and Tower Bridge. However, the fins were later revealed to be part of a stunt by Warner. Bros Pictures to promote their latest movie, Meg 2: The Trench.