Thousands of seal pups born at Blakeney Point since November

More than 2,000 seal pups have been born at Blakeney Point as the site retains its crown as England's biggest grey seal colony, the National Trust said.

Rangers have counted 2,366 grey seal pups born at the north Norfolk coastal nature reserve since the breeding season began in November.

The figures are up 1% on last year when 2,343 pups were born.

The National Trust has been counting young seals at the colony since 2001, when there were just 25 pups.

It appears the seal colony fared well in last week's tidal surge, as the pupping season had already ended and many young seals had already taken to the sea.

Ajay Tegala, the National Trust's ranger on the north Norfolk coast, is reponsible for counting the pups.

Ajay admits even seasoned rangers can't help but be charmed by the new arrivals at Blakeney Point.

Blakeney Point has plenty of space and no natural predators - making it a good breeding site for grey seals, who are beginning to spread from the beach further into the reserve.

The pups are born on land with white coats and feed on their mother's milk for up to three weeks, during which time they triple in size and shed their white fur.