Video: Seal pup struggles to escape from lobster pot

A seal pup almost drowned after it was trapped inside a lobster pot, prompting environmentalists to warn of the dangers of marine litter.

The pup - named Houdini by staff at the Scottish Seabird Centre in East Lothian - struggled for an hour to free itself amid crashing waves as its mother looked on.

The incident took place on Tuesday on the Isle of May, a nature reserve five miles off the coast of Fife in the Firth of Forth.

Visitors and staff at the centre could only watch as the footage was beamed back via a live CCTV connection - and online to viewers around the world.

Although Houdini did escape (not shown in the above footage), it is not known if it is still alive, as the body of a young pup was later seen next to the same spot.