Seal 'entangled in plastic' rescued on Felixstowe beach

A seal had to be assisted by medics after it became "entangled in plastic" on a beach.

Litter pickers discovered the mammal "in distress" with plastic stuck around its back and neck at Felixstowe in Suffolk on Sunday.

Medics from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) caught the seal and removed the plastic before releasing it back into the North Sea.

The charity said "thankfully" the seal was not injured "this time".

Lauren Searle said she saw the seal "in distress by the pier with plastic stuck around his neck".

BDMLR said it was "were alerted to a seal entangled in plastic".

The organisation said: "The public were asked to keep their distance to prevent the seal from returning to the sea at high tide.

"Medics waited for the tide to drop before attempting to catch the seal and remove the plastic."

The charity urged people to "dispose of litter properly and avoid using plastic as much as possible".

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