The Zoological Society of London counted the number of harbour and grey seals across the Greater Thames Estuary as part of conservation work.

Almost 3,600 seals have been counted in the Thames Estuary showing the habitat is still healthy, conservationists said.

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) teamed up with military helicopter pilots based at RAF Shawbury this year for its annual grey and harbour seal survey across the Greater Thames Estuary.

The team counted the number of mammals laying out on sandbanks and estimated how many may be in the water, concluding a total of 599 harbour seals and 2,988 grey seals living in the Thames Estuary.