THIS young seal pup was an added attraction for visitors to Scarborough on New Year's Day.

The creature swam into the town's harbour and clambered on to a rock in front of amazed onlookers.

Geoff Edmond, from the RSPCA, said an officer was despatched to the scene to do a quick check on its health.

"It's not unusual to see young seals coming out of the water along the North Yorkshire coast at this time of year," he said.

"The breeding season has come to an end and lots of pups are making their way south along the coastline. The sea can be very rough at this time of year and sometimes they just come in for a rest."

The young pup which made an appearance in Scarborough on New Year's Day looked like it was injured.

"We did receive some reports it might have an injury, but as it was approached by an RSPCA officer it dived back into the sea and swam away," he said.

"If it was fit enough to swim away that means it's highly likely there was nothing wrong with it."

Updated: 10:05 Thursday, January 03, 2002