Seven whales dead after washing up on beach

The pod of 11 whales became trapped on mudflats at low tide in the Swale estuary near Sittingbourne on Monday night

A total of seven whales have now died after they washed up on a Kent beach.

The pod of 11 whales became trapped on mudflats at low tide in the Swale estuary near Sittingbourne on Monday night.

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) said the situation was still "ongoing" but it was "very difficult".

One whale was found dead on Tuesday morning, while three others were confirmed dead just before 15:00 BST.

Two of the whales have since been spotted swimming freely and have not got re-stranded.

Two other whales are currently unreachable due to the mud.

One of the dead whales is being examined by the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme.

A BDMLR spokesperson said after the first whale was found dead: "Pilot whales sometimes strand when one is ill and it could be that the one found died and the others left on the rising tide."

They added: "We are very grateful for the ongoing support of HM Coastguard, while BDMLR's main focus has been on the stranded whales and their welfare, the safety of all volunteers and members of the public has to be put first.

"We ask that there is minimal disturbance in the area, on land and in the air, to allow the relevant organisations to continue their work."