Two orphaned seal pups have been rescued after being flown 300 miles to Thurrock in a private plane.

The underweight grey seals were found abandoned on a beach in Jersey and nowhere in the Channel Islands was able to accommodate them.

The South Essex Wildlife Hospital (SEWH) based at Orsett received a call from British Divers Marine Life Rescue for help getting the seals somewhere for long-term rehabilitation back into the wild.

Fog and high crosswinds initially foiled the planned takeoff, organised by Civil Air Support with a plane and pilots free of charge, into London Southend airport.

The seal pups were picked up at Southend.

But finally the two very confused seals took to the air and, after a 300 mile journey, were loaded into a SEWH ambulance upon landing on November 13 at 9.30am.

Both seal pups are underweight and one had a number of wounds covering her back and flippers.

But SEWH said both are bright and responding to treatment.

Staff at the South Essex Wildlife Hospital have been caring for the seal pups.

A SEWH spokesperson said: "We are overjoyed at their progress so far and would like to say a big thank you to all involved – from CAS and BDMLR to the ground team at London Southend Jet Centre and the two pilots – Neil and Philip. 

"None of this would have been possible without their immense efforts and we will do our best from here to get these two seals fit for release back to the wild."

Civil Air Support Director of Operations, Archie Liggat added: "This was a race against weather and time to save two orphaned seals on Jersey by evacuating them to a mainland refuge when no other means of transport was possible without inflicting deadly stress on the creatures. 

"The mission was professionally carried out during a brief weather window by our volunteers with extraordinary help and coordination by the refuge staff in Essex, BDMLR medics on Jersey and local vets who kept the seal pups alive for several days with limited specialist resources. 

"Missions like this are exactly why CAS was formed and illustrates our capability to intervene and assist our communities in ways that were, until recently, impossible".