Authorities say seal pups feared lost along English coast in tidal surge

LONDON – Conservation authorities say hundreds of seals may have fallen victim to this week's floods in eastern England, and are warning people not to try to help stranded pups.

The National Trust says gray seal pups have been washed from a beach at Horsey in the county of Norfolk.

Seals arrive on the beach each November to give birth, and the pups spend their first few weeks on the dunes.

The trust says the pups should be left alone so that their mothers can try to find them.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says it has "serious concerns about seal colonies" along the coast.

Eastern England was swamped Thursday by the biggest tidal surge in 60 years, amid a powerful storm with hurricane-force gusts of wind.