A stranded common seal pup was rescued this morning from the shoreline at Great Yarmouth.

Concerned holidaymakers spotted the seemingly abandoned pup and alerted the nearby Sea Life Centre.

Staff - including senior aquarist Darren Gook - raced to the scene and after making sure there was no adult seal nearby, carried the youngster to the safety of the Sea Life quarantine unit.

Colleagues from the seal rescue facility at sister attraction Hunstanton Sea Life Sanctuary were alerted and a staff member was immediately dispatched from Hunstanton to collect the pup and take it back for expert care and any necessary veterinary treatment.

Christine Pitcher, displays supervisor, said: 'Although seals will occasionally haul out onto the Great Yarmouth beach at certain times of the year for various reasons, it was apparent to us that the reason for this pup coming ashore was due to an injured flipper.

'The longer it remained on the beach the more at risk the pup was from being attacked by a dog, and we were left with no alternative but to remove it to the safety of the Sea Life centre.'

Once back in Hunstanton the pup thought to be about two months old will be given a thorough veterinary check and treated for any injuries or illness.

All being well it will then be looked after until fit and strong enough to survive back in the wild, normally about three months hence.