A FEMALE grey seal, named after Skol lager, is among nine beer-named creatures who have been released into the wild after being nursed to health at a wildlife centre.

Skol, who is from Middlesbrough and weighed 5st 13lb at the time of her release, is among the six male and three female seals released by RSPCA officers near the mouth of the River Nene in Lincolnshire.

The group, who were rescued as sick or orphaned pups, are all named after beers.

Officers at the RSPCA's East Winch centre, near King's Lynn in Norfolk, cared for them before they were healthy enough to be released on Friday.

Alison Charles, centre manager, said: "We are so happy to see these gorgeous creatures returning to the wild after having such difficult starts in life.

"We always release seals into the River Nene at Sutton Bridge in Lincolnshire on a receding tide.

"This takes them out to the exposed sandbanks in the Wash, where there are other wild seals.

"For the purposes of identification, to prevent medication or feeds getting mixed up, we always give our seals names.

"This season, we decided the theme would be beers."

The names of the nine seals are Skol, Norfolk Nog, Jimmy Riddle, Skull Splitter, Hofmeister, Mad Goose, Pickled Santa, Corona and Waggle Dance.

The seals had been seriously underweight or suffering from wounds or lungworm when they were rescued.

RSPCA officers fed them by hand in intensive care cubicles at the centre before the seals were moved into large pools as they began self-feeding and gaining weight until they reached "release condition".

RSPCA satellite tracking information shows the River Nene is an ideal release site, as it allows the seals to find others in the wild and return to familiar waters on their own.