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Pokemon have been banished from a coastal beauty spot after Seel-hunters disturbed the real deal.

As the Pokemon Go craze escalates, seals off the coast at Whitley Bay have been scared off by players descending on the seaside town to catch their virtual counterpart - Seels.

Worried for their welfare, North Tyneside Council asked its creators to remove the sea lion prey from St Mary’s Island.

And, rather than leave hunters facing a rising tide of criticism, The Pokémon Company has agreed.

A spokesperson for North Tyneside Council said: “We have excellent staff at St Mary’s Island who understand the nature of the animals that live there.

“They were concerned that the number of people attracted by Pokemon were causing seals to haul back into the sea due to distress.

“This issue is something that we have been working with conservation groups to avoid and while we recognise that the current Pokemon Go phenomenon provided many people with a lot of pleasure and increased footfall to a number of venues.

“St Mary’s Island is an area of natural beauty with significant wildlife.”

After the council filled in the necessary application to request the removal of a PokeStop or Gym, the destination has now been withdrawn.

In keeping with the fun spirit of Pokemon Go, developer Niantic has proved itself willing to act quickly in cases where enough requests are made or if a location is causing problems.

The council spokesman added: “Our first priority must always be the safety and wellbeing of the seals on the island and, in this instance, we feel that other locations would be more appropriate for PokeStops.”

Similar comments were posted on the council website in answer to a message from one man, Tom Glenwight, who tweeted it to say: “Now you remove PokeStops from St Mary’s!? Howay guys.”

A statement added: “It is necessary for us to manage the requirements of both visitors and the wildlife which use the island.”

A member of the council team also explained: “Trainers chasing virtual Seels were causing distress to the actual living seals”, to which Mr Glenwight responded: “You learn something new every day!”

The location of St Mary’s as prime hunting ground has even made a mention on travel website TripAdvisor with one visitor, called Karl, commenting on the attraction, saying: “Funny enough we went out to play Pokemon Go and ended up at St Mary’s Lighthouse.

“Hadn’t been here since I was a child. Great views.”