Plea to leave seal in peace as it rests up at Sunderland beach
Visitors to the city's seafront have been asked to leave a seal pup alone as it takes a rest.
Sunderland's RNLI Lifeboat Station has issued a notice asking people to leave the mammal in peace after it was spotted on Smugglers Beach this morning.
A spokesman for the volunteer team said: "We advise members of the public to stay clear of the animal and leave it to rest calmly until the tides hopefully bring its mother to find it.
"Local authority personnel have been informed."
The message has been shared by Sunderland Coastguard Rescue Team.