Has the Loch Ness Monster picture mystery been solved?

It is the picture hailed as the most convincing evidence yet of the existence of the Loch Ness monster.

Whisky warehouse worker Ian Bremner’s snap of a head and two humps in the calm waters of Loch Ness went viral online after emerging last week.

Many theories followed, including that a group of seals had somehow made their way into the Loch.

But one reader contacted The Scotsman with his own explanation - and insisted he had seen the same thing almost 70 years ago.

John Chalmers, of Edinburgh, wrote: “(Ian Bremner’s picture) reminded me of an incident on the same location in Loch Ness. I wrote a letter which you published in 1948.

It proved to be an otter when it came out on land. Had we not seen it emerge, I am sure that my friend and I would have sworn that we had seen a monster with two humps.”

Just to be sure, we scoured the files and dug out John’s letter from 1948 to prove the point.

So there you have it - are we looking at three otters, rogue seals or conclusive evidence of Nessie? You decide.