Grey seals arrive at Norfolk beach with their newborn pups

Grey seals with their newborn pups have arrived at a beach in Horsey, Norfolk, as the pupping season begins at one of the UK’s most important breeding grounds for the species.

Their arrival marked the start of the pupping season in Norfolk, which lasts from late October to the end of January.

A record 2,034 grey seals were born in 2018 in Horsey, compared to an average of less than 50 per year in the mid-1990s in the same location.

Volunteer group Friends of Horsey Seals patrols the beach regularly during the pupping season to ensure that visitors keep a safe distance from the seals.

According to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, around 50% of the world’s population of grey seals live around the British Coast.

The trust said that the largest pupping site in England is Blakeney Point in Norfolk, with more than 3,000 pups born during the 2018/19 pupping season.