Pup numbers pass 3,000 as Blakeney Point celebrates record year
A seal colony on the North Norfolk coast has had a record-breaking number of pups born this year.
According to the National Trust, which manages Blakeney Point reserve, 3,068 grey seals have been born since the pupping season started in November.
The figure means last year's total of 3,012 has already been surpassed.
The colony has been an undoubted success since its launch at the start of the millennium; just 25 pups arrived in 2001, but it only took 11 years for numbers to reach 1,000.
Pupping season ends in January, at which point a final count will be taken.