THESE photos show a large seal taking a long rest on a beach.

The seal was spotted on Hove beach opposite the King Alfred Leisure Centre in Kingsway yesterday afternoon.

Marine mammal medics cordoned off a section of the beach to stop people from disturbing the animal.

A passer-by said he was pleased to see measures were being taken to allow the seal to rest.

The Argus: The seal was spotted on Hove beach opposite the King Alfred Leisure Centre in Kingsway yesterday afternoon.The seal was spotted on Hove beach opposite the King Alfred Leisure Centre in Kingsway yesterday afternoon.

He said: “Although people were obviously looking as they walked by people were keeping a fair distance away from the beach and showing the animal respect.

“There were two marine mammal medics keeping an eye on the seal to check it was unharmed.

“The seal didn’t look injured, and it seemed to me like he had simply found a nice spot on the beach to enjoy the sunshine.”

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) advises people to not approach a seal if they see one resting on the beach, and to not allow children or dogs near it.

A spokesman said: “If you find a seal on a beach, watch it from a distance.

“Seals regularly haul out on our coasts – it is part of their normal behaviour, and, in fact, they spend more time out of the water, digesting their food and resting than in it.”

It comes after the charity were called to an “unprecedent flurry of reports” regarding harassment, disturbances and attacks on seals over the Easter bank holiday weekend.

The reports included a seal in Kent that was attacked and injured by an uncontrolled dog, a seal in Essex, and another in Yorkshire, that were stoned by youths.

Several other incidents of seals being purposefully chased into the sea by people and dogs were reported all along the east coast to Northumberland.

The spokesman said: “If anyone witnesses seals or other wildlife being attacked then we would encourage members of the public to report them to the Police on 999 in an emergency, or otherwise on the non-emergency number 101.

“Potential wildlife crimes such as this are seriously under-reported and we need more people to report what they witness to help show there is a need for more resources to be allocated to tackling these problems.”