Horsey seal entangled in green netting is rescued

The green rope is the netting caught up around the seal, while the other netting was used by the rescue teams to catch the animal

A grey seal was rescued after it had become entangled in netting.

Friends of Horsey Seals (FHS) said it was alerted by a member of the public who had spotted the male seal between Horsey and Winterton-on-Sea, Norfolk, on Monday.

Rescue teams said that when they caught the animal they discovered the netting was "digging deep into its flesh".

It was taken to the RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre so the netting could be cut off and the seal treated.

• Seal pup births increase 25-fold in 20 years

• Warning as storms drive seals and pups inland

• Salt appeal to treat bitten and injured seal pups

The seal had green roped netting tied around its neck and body and the rescue team used a large black net to catch the animal.

Sally Butler, from the FHS volunteer monitoring group, said it was a "challenge" to catch the seal as it weighed more than 31st 7lb (200kg).

She said it had 4ft (122cm) of netting around its neck and the wound was up to 4in (10cm) deep and infected.

"It seems that this sort of thing is getting worse; we are doing more and more rescues of this kind," she added.

Rescue teams had to catch the seal on the coast on the edge of The Broads and then they took it to the RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre in west Norfolk

Ms Butler said another seal was reported to be tangled in netting at Winterton on Tuesday, but as it was in a group of seals, a rescue was not possible, and they would try again on Wednesday.

FHS said it was understood that seals were getting caught up in rope netting when they were young and could not get out of it, and as they grew the netting could cut into their flesh.