Humpback whale spotted off the Norfolk coast for a second year

The humpback whale has been spotted off the Norfolk coast for the second year in a row

A humpback whale has been spotted off the Norfolk coast, a year after the first recorded sighting was made in the county.

The whale, which is thought to be about 10-15m long, was spotted off Mundesley on Thursday.

Carl Chapman, cetaceans recorder for Norfolk, said it spent most of the following day off the coast of Walcott.

"I'm absolutely thrilled," he said. "Its features very much resemble those of the whale here last year."

Mr Chapman said he spotted the humpback from Minsmere, Suffolk, two weeks ago and has been watching the Norfolk coast "avidly" since.

Carl Chapman said he was confident it was the same whale seen in 2013

He said the whale was about 3km (1.8 miles) off the coast and had been spotted below a group of gannets.

"They're after the same food source, herring," Mr Chapman said. "It breached earlier - came out of the water. It was spectacular."

Mr Chapman said the whale's arrival, almost a year to the day since it was spotted in 2013, gave him hope that it could become an annual event.

However, he said he was concerned that the whale was "horribly close" to the shipping lane and could be in danger of being hit.

Last year's sighting of the whale was the first in written record, experts said.