A SEAL pup discovered at the door of a pub is being nursed back to health at the RSPCA centre at West Hatch.

The animal turned up at the Old Lock and Weir, in Bristol, on Sunday (January 2) after completing a 300-mile trip from Scotland.

Landlord Daniel Rawlins was advised to let the pup, called Neoprene, return to the water.

But the seal had other ideas and reappeared at the pub's kitchen hatch.

Landlord Daniel Rawlins told the BBC the seal "appeared out of nowhere" to the surprise of staff and customers.

Mr Rawlins added: "He was like a mini-celebrity. He was quite friendly and cute.

"You could see he had been tagged and was used to being around humans."

The pup, which was underweight and suffering from seal pox, is now enjoying a rest at West Hatch and building its strength back up ahead of being released back into the sea.

Kitchen worker John Jefferies told the BBC: "Fortunately it was raining so the ground was wet and we put wet towels down.

"He seemed happy and safe there and proved very popular with our customers who were pleased to see wildlife on our doorstep.

"He was probably younger than 12 months and needed to be fed-up a little.

"It is a hell of a trip though. We thought it must be a local seal but it made the trip all the way down from Scotland."