Brighton dog walker sees sunbathing seal on seafront

Haley Magee stumbled upon the sunbathing creature on Saturday morning and stopped to watch it.

Seals normally spend the months between December and April moulting to remove and replace their layers of fur. The process is said to take a lot of energy which is why they go on land to do it.

Haley posted a picture of the seal in The Argus Camera Club. It was on the Kemp Town side of the beach.

The seal lying on Brighton Beach on Saturday (Image: Haley Magee)

Haley, from Brighton, said: “I was over the moon to see the seal and it felt like a really special calm moment just watching it.

“I walk my little dog on the beach each day and he ran off and wouldn’t come back. I thought he was running to the sea, which is a pain as he can’t swim well.

“A woman shouted ‘there’s a seal’ so I shouted at him to stop and thank goodness he did. He was barking at the seal. I put him on his lead and walked away to sit and watch the seal from a safe distance. I stayed for about 20 minutes.”

Haley went back in the afternoon but the seal was gone.

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue said people should keep away from seals. Giving advice previously it said: "We know it's tempting to try and get a closer look, but please stay at least 50 metres away, keep noise to a minimum and of course keep dogs on leads at all times."