Rescuers to help whale stranded off Norfolk coast

The whale was first spotted on Sunday

Rescuers have been monitoring the sea off the Norfolk coast after a whale was spotted stranded near the shore.

The pilot whale was first seen on Sunday near Snettisham, Norfolk, and while it seemed to float out on the tide, it has come back.

The whale is thought to be a young mammal that became separated from its pod, Julia Cable, from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), said.

"If it's an animal that can be rescued, we have the right equipment - we have people who can come out and do that," she said.

Ms Cable said BDMLR was called on Sunday morning.

"The tide did come in at about 13:00 BST and the whale refloated itself," she said.

The long-finned pilot whale was spotted again on Monday but the tide had come in, so rescuers had not been able to see it.

The whale is being monitored by experts

"It's likely to still be around, as the Wash isn't a great place for whales like this to be finding their way out - so we're keeping an eye out for it," Ms Cable told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"A large whale - that's used to being in deeper water - the Wash is made up of lots of estuaries, it's marshland, it's got channels, but a lot of sandbanks."

She said pilot whales could come closer to shore to "follow a food source... but they're also usually in large groups - pods of around 10 to 50 or more".

She said the lone animal had likely been separated from its family group.

"It's ended up coming further ashore and it's basically got stuck... and become disorientated.

"They don't tend to come too close to shore, and to see a single animal like this - it is a worry."

Ideally, it would navigate its way out and find a pod, but Ms Cable added: "It's not in the best condition so it might have been hanging around the shore for quite some time.

"We have to look at that practically, and do what's best for the whale."