Appeal for people not to call coastguard about seals on SEFTON beaches

An increase in the number of seals on beaches along the coast of England has led to a huge volume of calls to HM Coastguard.

COASTGUARDS have appealed to people not to call them about basking seals on beaches.

An increase in the number of seals on beaches along the coast has led to a huge volume of calls to the coastguards.

It is thought a larger number of the animals have come ashore to take refuge because of the weather conditions and people are calling the coastguard to report seeing them on beaches, mistakenly thinking they might be injured.

Jordan Grebby, from HM Coastguard, said: ‘If someone sees an injured seal they can call us and we will call the RSPCA, although of course, people can call the RSPCA directly if they think an animal is hurt.

“However, we’ve been receiving a huge volume of calls over the past few days about seals on beaches which have turned out not to be injured.

“Seals on beaches aren’t necessarily there because they are hurt and if you approach them they can respond aggressively.

“Please think before calling 999 and asking for the coastguard about a seal that just happens to be on a beach unless you really think it’s hurt as it could take up time that we need to deal with real emergencies.

“As always though, if you see someone in difficulty at the coast or you yourself are in trouble, call 999 and ask for the coastguard.”