Dead Norfolk whale could wash up on beach within days

The whale was spotted on Wednesday

A 25ft (7.6m) dead whale could end up on an East coast beach after being spotted in the sea off Norfolk, fishermen have said.

It was spotted by Tommy Williams and his father about a mile (1.6km) from Caister-on-Sea on Wednesday.

The pair, who are also lifeboat volunteers, said at first they thought the carcass was an upturned boat.

They alerted the Coastguard but said if the easterly winds continue the whale "will end up on our shore somewhere".

"It's quite a tragedy to see something like that," Mr Williams said.

"It's approximately 20 or 25ft with a lot of seagulls around taking advantage of it."

Unless the wind changes direction, fishermen say it will be washed ashore

He said he wanted Coastguard officials to be aware of the whale in case others mistook it for a stricken vessel.

"We did actually speak to the coastguards because with the easterly wind, in the next day or two, it will be on our shore somewhere," said Mr Williams.

"It will wash up on a beach or get closer inshore."

The Coastguard and Maritime Agency said its Humber operations centre had "issued a local navigation warning for the Caister area, warning vessels of the whale and asking them to keep a sharp look-out".

It is not yet known what type of whale it is.