Seal pup freed from hole after three-hour rescue in Norfolk

A seal pup found trapped in a hole has been rescued and released back on to a beach.

A team from Friends of Horsey Seals was called to Waxham in Norfolk and was able to gradually winch the animal to safety.

The group said: "It took the team three hours to get the seal out. It was really jammed into the hole. Had they not rescued it, it would have drowned at high tide."

The RSPCA in Norfolk said recently it expected to see a rise in the number of seal pups needing to be rescued due to bad weather over winter and urged people to call for help rather than approach a lone pup.