THE RNLI station at Swanage had a surprise visitor this morning – a seal!

The pinniped – Christened Ron Seal by the charity base – was spotted on the jetty on the seafront on Wednesday morning.

“We’ve got a visitor,” the station posted on social media. “Ron Seal is patrolling the end of the slipway, keeping it clear in case we need to launch on a rescue, although he now appears to be asleep on the job…”

The Dorset Wildlife Trust says two species of seal are native to UK waters and often spotted in the county – grey seals and common (or harbour) seals.

“The UK is important for both species, home to almost 40% of the global grey seal population and around 30% of the European subspecies of the common seal population,” the charity said.

Ron Seal enjoying a nap on the slipway. Picture: Swanage RNLI