Memorial to Danny the dolphin unveiled on Portland Marina

Danny the Dolphin regularly appeared alongside pleasure craft off the Dorset coast

A memorial has been unveiled to a dolphin which became a local celebrity off the Dorset coast.

The solitary bottlenose dolphin, who became known as "Danny", died after being hit by a ship last year.

Danny became a familiar site along the coast and a Facebook group about him has more than 4,500 members.

Liz Sandeman, founder of conservation charity Marine Connection, said it was a "delight" to see the memorial unveiled on Portland Marina.

She added: "It was the local community that wanted a memorial to Danny. He really captured their hearts and they wanted a lasting tribute.

"He frequented Portland and Weymouth waters for a couple of years… they really wanted something in memory of him.

"It's a special memorial because it's the first of its kind, there's never been a memorial to a solitary dolphin like this one."

A Facebook group about Danny has more than 4,500 members

Members of the public raised more than £1,000 for the memorial, which includes a limestone rock donated by Portland Stone Firms Ltd.

The plaque says Danny was "fondly remembered by all who had the good fortune to encounter him".

Danny, thought to have been aged about 12, appeared among cruise ships moored off the Dorset coast when voyages were stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Liz Sandeman called the memorial the first of its kind

Among the tributes, Weymouth's RNLI crew said he had "helped to educate people as to marine life and its importance in our waters and the need to preserve it".

Dan Bell, of Jurassic Jetski Tours, who photographed Danny when he appeared alongside his tour groups, said: "He was very friendly and playful. He would just pop up out of nowhere."

He is believed to be the same dolphin rescued by a local fisherman after getting entangled on a yacht mooring off Swanage in October 2019.