It was a sight which holidaymakers could enjoy during Great Yarmouth's heyday of the 1950s and 60s.

For half a century, a pleasure boat called the Norwich Belle would ferry visitors from the town to the seal colony on Scroby Sands.

The two-hour cruise was discontinued in 1981 and the Norwich Belle sailed away from Great Yarmouth for the last time. 

Since then, close-up sightings of the sandbank's herd of grey seals have been rare.

Great Yarmouth Mercury: SEA-GOING...for seal sighting. The Norwich Belle near the moored Eastern Princess opposite the Town Hall.SEA-GOING...for seal sighting. The Norwich Belle near the moored Eastern Princess opposite the Town Hall. (Image: Mercury Archive)

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But a photo taken by Oliver Bolton once again allows people a glimpse of the ever-shifting sandbank and its local population.

The image, shot on Tuesday, May 14, shows the seals basking in the sun, when it was estimated there were approximately a thousand seals on the sandbank. 

Great Yarmouth Mercury: A colony of seals basking in the sun on Scroby Sands near Great Yarmouth.A colony of seals basking in the sun on Scroby Sands near Great Yarmouth. (Image: Oliv3r Drone Photography)

A company called Jet Adventures runs trips to Scroby Sands from Lowestoft.

The sandbank run near the shore, north to south from Caister south towards Great Yarmouth.

Made up of 30 towering turbines, the Scroby Sands Offshore Wind Farm is 2.5km offshore and was commissioned in 2003.