Divers help seal back to the sea

The seal swam nearly three miles inland to south of Lewes

A seal that swam nearly three miles inland to Lewes has been returned to the sea with the help of rescue divers.

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) was called to Southease Bridge, south of Lewes, after first reports that the seal was injured or ill.

A spokesman said the seal was healthy and monitored by East Sussex medics before its return to the sea.

He said the adult harbour seal swam into the river and then back to the slipway several times on Tuesday.

Pictures were taken using a camera phone at the site, and e-mailed to a vet in Devon for confirmation that it was not injured.

Marine medic training

BDMLR was formed by a group of divers in 1988 and now provides a 24-hour marine animal rescue service.

It trains more than 400 volunteer medics a year and has 20 whale rescue pontoons at strategic points across the UK.

Thirteen marine animal rescue ambulances and four rigid inflatable boats run by the charity are sited throughout the UK ready to be sent to an incident.

In August, marine medics from across Kent and East Sussex took part in a staged exercise when they tested their emergency treatment skills on inflatable water-filled rubber whales.