Dead sperm whale found washed up on Norfolk coast

The 45ft-long (13.9m) male animal was found near Weybourne

A "quite well decayed" dead sperm whale has been discovered washed up on a north Norfolk beach.

The 45ft-long (13.9m) male animal was found on Tuesday morning near Weybourne.

Carl Chapman, from the monitoring group Norfolk Cetaceans, said it was likely the whale "has been dead for around about three weeks" given its state.

Last week, another dead sperm whale was spotted about one mile (1.6km) off the Norfolk coast in The Wash.

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Mr Chapman said it was rare for sperm whales to enter the shallow waters of the North Sea.

He said there had been a proliferation of squid this year and thought the whale may have been tempted into chasing them into the southern North Sea.

He said the animal could be washed back into the sea with a high tide, or "could just be left to rot where it is and be recycled back into the system by the birds and the fishes".

According to the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme, approximately 500 cetacean strandings are reported around the UK each year