Reward offered after signs urging people to give a seal space were vandalised
A £100 reward is being offered for information in Teignmouth after signs protecting a seal were set alight.
Last updated 9th Apr 2021
They were put in place around the animal's usual resting area because of the numbers of people going up and touching it.
The town’s mayor Peter Williams says the signs - which had only just gone up - had been working.
He said: "I've seen it a couple of times just backing on the beach there.
"I've got to say that people generally have respected its distance and stayed away from it, which has been great.
"Unfortunately there's always someone who's going to invade the space of a wild animal and what we've got to bear in min is that this is a wild animal.
"For its protection and also for the protection of the public we placed some signs out around it - not on top of it - giving it some space.
"Allowing the public to see that the seal has space.
"Some people we don't know who they were decided that they could find better use of the signs and it appears that they've now made a bonfire on them on the back beach.
Town councillor Andrew Henderson added: "I'm very disappointed.
"Obviously there are still that element that will still come in and try and touch the seal. But I think on the whole the majority of people were very respectful of it and the signs were actually doing some good."
To claim the reward contact Councillor David Cox here