A seriously injured gull was rescued from drowning off Viking Bay by the RSPCA on Sunday.

The bird was discovered by members of the public close to the Broadstairs beach with a hook in its beak, another in its foot and one in its chest.

The charity has issued a warning to anglers to be careful with litter.

The bird was taken to a nearby vet who removed the hooks and is continuing to treat it for injuries with antibiotics.

RSPCA inspector Deborah Pert said: “This poor bird was very lucky to survive considering he had not one but three hooks in him.

“He could not have eaten or caught food with that hook through his beak, and the third hook in his chest was especially deep but the vets did a brilliant job removing it.

“This serves as a reminder to all anglers to be careful with their fishing litter which can cause a lot of harm, and even be fatal to wildlife.

"It only takes one thoughtless person to carelessly throw aside a bit of line or float with horrific consequences." - RSPCA inspector Deborah Pert

“Of course, most people who fish are responsible with their litter and take care to dispose of it properly.

"But it only takes one thoughtless person to carelessly throw aside a bit of line or float with horrific consequences.

“We urge anyone about to go out fishing to make sure they take those extra few minutes to dispose of their litter properly. They could be saving a life.”

After a period of recovery the RSPCA hopes the bird will be released back to the wild.