Seal on Hive Beach, Burton Bradstock

A young seal was spotted by residents at Hive Beach in Burton Bradstock on Sunday, March, taking an opportunity to lay in the sun.

Bridport resident Jenny Stewart-Ackroyd was alerted to the seal's presence on the beach by her mother.

She said: "My mum called to say she had seen him so I ran down as I'd never actually seen a seal before.

"He was very relaxed and just moved away when the sea would get too close. He seemed happy to sunbathe in the morning sun.

Bridport resident Jenny Stewart-Ackroyd visited the scene after her mother told her about the seal Picture: Jenny Stewart-Ackroyd

"My mum had already called up Divers Marine Life Rescue so we sat by him whilst we waited for them to come.

She added: "It was definitely a lovely start to my day."

A spokesperson for the Divers Marine Life Rescue confirmed a member of the team came to Hive Beach to check on the seal.

They said they were aware of this particular seal - adding that he was friendly and had even been known to hop on to people's paddleboards over the summer.

Divers Marine Life Rescue said the seal had been seen often around Weymouth in the summer Picture: Jenny Stewart-Ackroyd

The spokesperson said: "It was a seal we were already aware of. It is a young grey seal who has been in the area for around a year.

"We attended for observation purposes just to check it was in fact the seal we thought it was. He's been sighted around the Weymouth area a lot over the past year.

"He is very friendly and used to people. However, our advice is still for people to observe him from a distance and not to get too close."