Concerns as 'vulnerable' turtle spotted in sea

A loggerhead turtle was spotted off the coast of St Ives

Wildlife experts have urged people to report sightings of loggerhead turtles after one was spotted in the sea off the South West coast.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust (CWT) said the turtle was seen near St Ives on Sunday by volunteers from Seaquest, a project run by the charity to record marine wildlife sightings.

The trust said waters along the coast at this time of year would be "too cool" for loggerheads, which are categorised as "vulnerable" by the WWF - formerly the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Rebecca Allen, a marine conservation officer at CWT, said anyone who spotted a loggerhead should call British Divers Marine Life Rescue so the creatures could be rescued.

"We often get a few juveniles stranding through the winter in a weakened state - they can even look dead as they will sink into a torpor," Ms Allen said.

"If found in time, they can be rescued and rehabilitated.

"It's thought they get kicked too far north by ocean currents, perhaps after storms."