UK beachgoers warned: 'Flying rings kill seals'

A young female seal was found with a flying ring around its neck in Cornwall

Beachgoers have been urged not to use flying rings amid concerns about the danger to seals.

The rings get stuck round the necks of curious young seals, strangling them as the animals grow, said Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust.

Six rings were found on one day at a Cornish beach said the trust.

"They are a danger to seals' lives, they cannot shake them off and the windpipe gets squashed as they grow," said Sue Sayer from the trust.

Six rings were found in one day at a Cornwall beach

The rings were collected near Carbis Bay by swimmers on 2 March, she said.

"Shockingly, all six of these flying rings were removed from the sea off a single beach in Cornwall by a single pair of volunteers in a single day," she said.

"How many others remain undetected?"

Two seals were snared by the rings last year in north and west Cornwall.

The trust is urging manufacturers and shops to only make and sell solid rings.

A young male seal was also found with a ring around its neck

The rings were removed thanks to the work of volunteers from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR).

Dan Jarvis of BDMLR said seals snared by rings were being found along the UK coastline, but Norfolk had become an "epicentre" of the problem.

"It's a simple issue we can all resolve," he said.

"We would appeal to shops not to sell them because there are alternatives."